I am Second
by deetails
Summary: Callie has lived a life focused on one thing; Jude. This story explores how Callie's world expanded beyond Jude and reflects the author's time in foster care. In this story, Callie is 12, Jude is 9, Brandon is 13 and Marianna and Jesus are 11. No Brallie. The characters are not mine; the typos are though.
1. Meeting Lena

_**Callie:**_

I squinted against the sun and willed my headache to go away as the buzzer which controlled everything at Chula Vista sounded and the gates opened. Juvie was a two-month long distraction from Jude; two months that neither he nor I could afford. I scanned the parking lot, looking for him or Bill, the at times hapless caseworker assigned to me. My eyes paused briefly on a woman standing near one of the guards and I watched as her eyes darted nervously from me to the guy standing next to her - a social worker, I assumed. My assumption was confirmed when he rushed clumsily towards me to introduce himself as David, a colleague of Bill's. He looked frazzled and somewhat frightened of me, something I found irritating.

"Where's Bill? Why isn't Bill here?" I asked, perturbed. Bill, though he had disappointed me many times, was a familiar face and it was discouraging that he hadn't bothered to show up himself. When David didn't answer my questions about Bill's whereabouts, I peppered him with more questions, "Where's Jude? Do you know where he is? I need to speak to Jude". When he merely stuttered out sounds rather than answering my questions, I rolled my eyes and slowly repeated each question, raising my voice to be heard over his useless utterances. At his confession that he didn't know where Jude was, I grew annoyed and added, "I don't understand why I can't talk to Jude" before trailing off and biting down on my split lip in annoyance.

David, ignoring my final question and using a case file - likely my own based on its thickness - to herd me over to the woman I had seen earlier, whispered viciously, "That's enough, I have no idea what you are talking about." I scowled at his lie and scooted away from him before demanding, "Stop. Touching. Me." He immediately dropped his hand and I took a second comforting step away from him.

 _ **Lena:**_

I was furious at Bill for not meeting me today; though I could hardly fault his reasons. An overdosing foster child; my goodness.

Still, I needed someone to direct my frustration at, particularly since I hadn't been able to reach Stef to ask her about taking in a new foster child - one from the steps of a juvenile detention facility. I tried her one more time before my call was sent to voicemail. I sighed and got out of the car throwing my phone into my bag and quickly tying my hair up while trying to catch up to David, Bill's irritating colleague.

David had been evasive, at best, in his answers to my questions. Despite promising ample assistance with the placement, he ignored me in favor of flipping feverishly through an oversized file when I asked whether Chula Vista was an appropriate place to house a twelve-year-old girl. After a few awkward moments of silence, he clarified that the girl had gotten into a fight with her foster father, damaging his property in the process and they hadn't been able to find a suitable foster home for her.

"Shit," I thought, chastening myself at my own language. "Uh ... Bill and I have known each other for a very long time and he's been a friend of the family ever since he placed the twins with us, but I cannot bring someone violent into my house!" I glanced at him to confirm he understood. "I've got my own kids to think about" I added insistently. He shifted his feet and said, "We aren't asking you to keep her; it would only be for a couple of weeks".

Before I could object further, a loud buzzer sounded and a petite brunette walked through the opened gates. Her clothes were ill-fitting and her hair was a greasy mess. She looked around the parking lot in annoyance before her eyes settled on me and she rearranged her features to reflect her apparent confusion. She was short and lean - too thin probably - and looked ten despite David confirming she was twelve. I found myself reflecting back on my earlier conversation with David and I wondered what sort of property damage someone so small could cause. As she walked closer, I gasped at her injured face, which carried a split lip and was further marred by a huge bruise covering her cheek. David heard me and rushed to explain that it was not atypical for the residents at Chula Vista to jump departing residents out of jealousy. "And you just let them?" I asked, incredulously.

He ignored me and hurried over to the young girl. I rolled my eyes as he stuttered his way through her questions about Bill and "Jude" and made a mental note of the latter name. He shushed her before introducing us. _Callie._ She looked like a Callie.

Still, there was no way I was going to be able to sell Stef on this placement - on Callie. I turned to David and motioned that I needed to speak with him privately. Instead of following me, he blurted out "I guess I could send her to a group home". I frowned at him for his lack of discretion and vowed to speak to Bill about David's professionalism before glancing at Callie. She battled valiantly at the tears threatening to fall and her lower lip trembled precipitously.

I couldn't do it, I decided. I couldn't be responsible for sending her to a group home. I exhaled audibly before clarifying, "It's just for a few weeks, right?"

Stef was going to kill me.


	2. Flinched

_**Callie:**_

I hated foster care, I thought as Lena drove me somewhere, presumably to her home. I hated not being in control of where I lived. I hated the court dates and the feeling that I had done something wrong, even when I hadn't. I definitely hated David. But there was nothing I hated more than being in Chula Vista. Between the other girls and the guards with lingering eyes and wandering hands, I hadn't had a decent night's sleep since I had arrived there two months prior.

I thought back to my last interaction with the worst of the girls. They had taunted me before delivering decisive and calculated blows to my face, shoulder, and ribs. The guards had been slow to break up the fight; eager to put me in my place and to make clear one final time how little I was worth. _Message received._ Thinking about the fight made my injuries hurt and I brought my hand to my face and pressed down gently on my mouth to soothe my split lip, which I had irritated during my conversation with David. Lena spotted the motion and offered a sad smile. I lowered my hand in haste - I didn't need her pity - and her smile fell just as quickly.

I shook off the guilty feeling that came from causing her discomfort and returned my thoughts to Jude, who I knew I needed to get to - and soon. _Why hadn't he been with David?_ The thought made me anxious and I blinked back the tears threatening to fall as my breathing got more and more shallow. I inhaled deeply and subtly slipped my hand under my seat belt to rub at my chest, tapping out my breath duration. Lena looked at me quizzically and asked if I was okay. Apparently, I hadn't been subtle enough. I nodded a response and lowered my hand to my lap.

When I began to get dizzy and my heart continued to race, I used one hand to pinch the skin on the back of my other hand; carefully digging my thumb and index fingernails into the skin. The pain helped.

* * *

I allowed my thoughts to wander. I had nearly cried in front of _Lena_ ; my temporary foster mother. It had been a cruel form of punishment for David to force me to watch as someone decided whether or not I was worth the trouble but I was still surprised by the surge of emotions. I chided myself for the weak display before recalling that it was my near tears that convinced Lena to keep me for a couple of weeks, which was more than enough time for me to get to Jude. Thinking of him caused my heart to race again and I pinched my hand cruelly for the third time until Lena reached across the console and stilled my fingers causing me to flinch. I scooted away from her and leaned into the door. She sighed heavily, her annoyance clear, and moved her hand back to the wheel.

 _ **Lena:**_

I turned the radio on ten minutes into our ride home when it became apparent that Callie wasn't going to answer my questions with more than a nod or a quizzical head tilt. I had given her an overview of the family, telling her about Stef and the kids and she had nodded attentively enough. Her attentiveness waned when I asked about her past; her response was to frown at me and turn toward the passenger side window.

I took advantage of her shift in focus and snuck several peeks at her. She was quiet and her silence combined with her wariness reminded me of Marianna when we first got her. She was also rail-thin; so small and skinny that I had nearly convinced myself that Stef wouldn't notice the extra child. I smirked to myself at the thought before quickly dismissing it, "She's a cop. She's going to notice and then she is going to kill you." Movement in my periphery distracted me and I watched as Callie's hand flew to her lip before she noticed me looking and quickly lowered it. The busted lip looked out of place on her delicate features and it looked painful; though she hadn't said anything about the pain. She hadn't said anything to me at all, I realized. Not one word.

I heard her breathing become more shallow and a quick glance revealed that her skin had paled. I knew the beginning stages of a panic attack and Callie was obviously well on her way to having one. "Are you alright?" I asked her, lowering my eyes to her hand which she had slipped beneath her seat belt to rub against her sternum. She jerked her hand to her lap and nodded. _Sure you are_ , I thought as I resumed monitoring the road.

I snuck another look and noticed that Callie was pinching herself – hard. I asked her what she was thinking about and she gave me an evasive look and didn't answer me, turning instead back to the window. When she moved her hand to the third spot to pinch, I reached over and draped my hand over hers stilling her fingertips, and assured her "Hey now; none of that, please. Everything is going to be okay". She flinched acutely, closed her eyes and scooted a couple of inches closer to the door. I withdrew my hand quickly, lecturing myself internally, "Way to go Lena; now she is scared of you".

"Are you okay?" I asked. She nodded her response but kept her hands under her thighs and remained uncomfortably close to the door. Eventually, she closed her eyes and went to sleep.

* * *

 _Adams-Foster Residence_

 _ **Callie**_

I was sitting in the largest house I'd ever been in when Lena introduced me. Marianna and Jesus had been in foster care too, Jesus offered willingly; they had apparently been in several homes before they met Lena and her wife. They agreed that the system sucked and discussed openly how glad they were not to be in it anymore. I was momentarily bitter that, unlike me, they'd been adopted when they were still young, cute and wanted. But I could hardly be jealous that they had made it out; I wouldn't want my worst enemy to be in some of the homes I'd been in.

Based on his comments, Brandon was some sort of prodigy pianist and was Stef's biological son. He was participating in an upcoming competition and was discussing the complexity of his piece when Jesus interrupted him to ask me, "What happened to your face? Did you get in a fight?" I ignored him and looked around trying to figure out where the bathroom was. I needed a moment ... several actually.

Lena noted my distraction and, after a beat, asked if I was looking for the restroom. I nodded yes and she pointed to a door just past the refrigerator. I grabbed my bag and followed her directions. On my way, I could hear Marianna asking Lena more questions about me, "Does she talk? How old is she? Where did she come from?" I felt a rush of shame and rolled my eyes at Lena's vague responses; I guess we weren't telling people about juvie. _Fair enough._

I locked the bathroom door and looked around carefully before I searched my bag for my favorite picture of Jude and I. I ran my finger over his face and sank down onto the bathroom floor breathing heavily. The tears that had been threatening to fall since I'd gotten placed at Chula Vista fell without my consent and, for the second time that day, I lost control of my breathing. I shoved my sleeve into my mouth to silence my sobs and let myself cry for a few moments. When I heard footsteps outside the bathroom and then a knock on the door, I pinched my hand and used the resulting pain to get my emotions under control. When I could breathe normally, I got up to wash my face; taking care to splash some cold water on my eyes.

When I walked out, Lena eyed me curiously with some suspicion and asked, "Are you okay?" I nodded blindly. I really needed to talk to Jude.


	3. Meeting Stef

_**Callie:**_

Shortly after I lied to Lena about being okay, the back door opened and I turned in time to see a blonde woman in uniform walk in and drop a duffel onto the counter. _A cop?! Seriously?_ I lowered my left foot to the ground as the blonde greeted Lena, who had neglected to mention that her wife was a police officer. After reading her gold name tag, I appreciated that my assumption that Lena and Stef were married might have been in error. My eyes tracked her as she walked around the table to kiss Lena and greeted her 'babies' before opening the fridge. I smiled a bit at that; cop or not, she obviously loved her kids.

She popped her head from behind the refrigerator door and hesitated when her eyes met mine - her eyebrows raising in question. My smile dropped. She frowned and returned to the fridge to grab a can of ... beer?!. _Well, shit!_ I had learned early on that foster parents who drank were unpredictable - playful and easygoing one minute, cruel and exacting the next. After her second swig from the can, I scooted forward on my stool and dropped my second foot to the ground – just in case.

The blonde scanned the room again and shifted her eyes from Lena to me and back again, raising her eyebrows in a silent question to her _wife_ , who studiously ignored her. It was clear that Stef hadn't been asked about this little arrangement and Lena's shifting eyes and poor posture revealed her concern about how her partner was going to respond to her agreeing to foster me. I sighed heavily at the thought of heading to my seventh foster home so soon after my arrival at the sixth one. It was a predictable outcome and I was grateful that I hadn't bothered to unpack anything, despite Lena earlier directive that I make myself at home.

Stef turned to me again and faked a smile, her irritation at being left out of the loop obvious, "And who's this?" When I didn't answer, her brow furrowed and she stepped closer - I sat up straighter, willing myself to not flinch or tear up. _Show no weakness,_ "I'm Stef! And you are ...?" Stef asked, her face indicating that she was insistent on receiving a reply. I looked pleadingly at Lena and tried to beat my anxiety into submission by carefully regulating my breathing. Lena intervened just as I lifted my hand to my chest, pressing down on my sternum to calm my racing heart, "This is Callie and she is going to be staying with us for a bit." Stef's eyebrows shot toward her hairline as she let out a skeptical "Okaayyy."

* * *

After dinner, I grabbed a few plates from the table and hurried to start the dishes. Lena called my name and when I turned, looked at me curiously before shutting off the water, taking the plate I was washing and waving me off. "You don't need to do the dishes hon I'll take care of these later. Why don't you hang out with Marianna or Jesus or rest for a bit?" she offered before she and Stef walked outside, closing the door tightly behind them. _Yeah, okay._ I rolled my eyes and ignored her and continued washing the dishes; the warm water and suds soothing the anxiety that had been building all day.

I could hear snippets of Lena and Stef's conversation through the closed window as I swept the floor and froze when I heard my name. I debated not listening, but my curiosity got the best of me and I rushed to the door in time to hear Stef ask in a tone that belied her frustration, "What do we know about this Callie that we're bringing into our house, with our children? What happened to her face?" "She got beat up in juvie", Lena responded. "IN JUVIE?! Lena..." Stef started with a sigh. "Shhhhhhhh," Lena said, "I know, I know. But ... I talked to Bill. She's not violent, she's not dangerous in any way." Her voice trailed off and I missed the rest of her sentence. "Anyway, it's just for a few weeks."

I choked back tears as a full cacophony of emotions rose up - what must it be like to get to stay somewhere for more than a few months? What would it be like to stay somewhere permanent? What was it like to be wanted? I had had that once ... with my momma and Donald, but somehow I doubted I would ever get it again. The best I could hope for was someone who was willing to keep me for longer than a few months. _Unlikely to happen._ I pinched my hand and forced a mental subject change before putting away the milk and salad dressing and dropping the cloth napkins from the table into the hamper near the bathroom I'd cried in earlier.

Using a sponge, I scrubbed mercilessly at the table – angry at myself both for eavesdropping and for allowing myself to be sad about their conversation. "Damn right I'm not violent" I whispered. I hated when foster parents felt like they needed to protect their _real kids_ from me; I was smaller than all of Stef and Lena's kids. How could I possibly harm them? I bit back my new tears of frustration and quietly returned the stools to their respective homes under the table before tossing the dish towel over a hook on the cabinet. I scanned the clean kitchen and sighed.

* * *

As a rule, the first night in a foster home was awkward, especially after the chores were done and this house was proving to be no exception. The layout of the house was unfamiliar, I wasn't sure which chores were mine, the _real kids_ were upstairs and didn't appear terribly interested in getting to know me and, after overhearing Lena and Stef's conversation, I certainly wasn't going to be engaging either of them in a conversation. I had nothing to do and, since I had no idea where I was allowed to be in the house, I had no choice but to wait for Lena and Stef to finish their poorly whispered conversation. I grabbed my favorite book, " _The Girl with the Silver Eyes_ " and found a spot on the floor near the stairs and began to read.

 _"...The same was true of the kids at school. She was good at games, but there was always someone who didn't like the way she played them. She didn't like balls coming at her... That was before she learned how to make the ball veer off to the side. She knew that could spoil a game, but somehow, like other things she did, she couldn't help doing it."_ I frowned when I read that part of the book. If people with superhero-like abilities felt lonely and unwanted; what chance did someone like me have? _None._

 _ **Stef:**_

Lena was going to kill me, I decided.

She had called several times throughout the day but I'd either been in the middle of interviews, rushing through paperwork or at Brandon's recital and hadn't answered - I had even sent her last call directly to voicemail, something she vehemently opposed. "I should have stopped for flowers" I muttered as I pushed open the door to our home and dropped my bag on the counter. "Hi, honey!" I greeted her, stopping to drop a kiss on her lips as I walked over to the refrigerator to grab a beer.

I knew something was up as soon as she gave me that deer in headlights look when I greeted her, barely returning my kiss. I followed her eyes as they flitted to the end of our kitchen table. "And who is this?" I asked, eyeing the small brunette looking at me with wary eyes before walking over to introduce myself. "This is Callie and she is going to be staying with us for a bit" Lena rushed to answer. _Oh really now?!_ "Okaayyy." I raised my eyebrows at Lena twice to indicate that we would definitely be discussing this and resisted the urge to ask more questions in front of ... _Callie._ I noted her busted lip and bruised cheek and was surprised to find that she looked like she'd been crying. I continued to watch her as I sipped my beer and wondered how she managed to look both terrified and combative at the same time.

My partner had agreed to foster the wisp of a girl without so much as a text message. Lena was not going to kill me, I decided, I was going to kill Lena.

* * *

After dinner, we stepped outside and before the door had completely closed, I turned to my partner in irritation. "Explain Lena ... now" I insisted, "Explain to me why there is a small child - one who looks absolutely terrified I should add - sitting at my kitchen table. Because I know you, my love, and I trust that you did not agree to foster a child without consulting me."

"Stef, it's just for a few weeks", Lena promised as I tried to hide my frustration that Lena had literally gone and found a child and invited it - her - back to our home without telling me. I took several deep breaths and rub at my temples as I chanted to myself:

'you love this woman.'

'you love this woman.'

'you love this woman.'

"Where did you get her from?" I asked. I could understand if the child was an anchor beach student who Lena had happened across during her workday. After all, that was how we had gotten the twins. "Well," she murmured, "Bill called and asked if we could help him out. He said it was an emergency and that he would introduce her to me and give me a bit of background. Only, he didn't show up when I went to pick her up since another kid on his caseload overdosed."

"Of course." I quipped. "Go on." "When I went to pick her up, the most incompetent social worker was there and he was being so dismissive of her and she looked like she was going to burst into tears at any moment." As she described how David had effectively asked her, in front of Callie, if she'd prefer Callie go to a group home where her future would be bleak at best, I begin to see how she felt she had no real choice. Hell, I might have done the same thing and I'm not even a softy like Lena. I smile as she defends her choice. She has such a good heart, I conclude, and I tell her as much. "Honey, I know you only did this out of the goodness of your heart, and I can't get mad at you for that, can I?" She smiles brightly and accuses me of being _mushy_ when she brings home kids and I smirk because Lena loves " _mushy Stef_ " _._ "But no more kids ... okay" I plead, grabbing her hand, "any more kids, it's gonna be like _The Brady Bunch_ around here, and we're ... we're definitely not _The Brady Bunch_." I walk back toward the house but turn at the last minute to comment "you owe me" and shoot her an accompanying dirty smirk as we head back to the house. She rolls her eyes and I chuckle loudly.

Walking in, I nearly trip over Callie who was reading in the dark near the steps. "Why are you reading in the dark?" I asked her, annoyed that I had nearly crushed the girl. Her eyes flicker in worry before they glaze over and her silence is deafening. "Okayyy ... let's grab a seat and discuss the house rules."

* * *

Callie doesn't like me, I suspect. At the very least, she's extremely wary of me. As I'm speaking, I watch as her eyes race around the room constantly, as if danger could happen upon her at any moment, though she nodded obediently at each recited rule. "The curfew on a school night is seven. You must ask permission from Lena or me before leaving the house. Also, you'll go to school while you're staying here. Lena is the Vice Principal of Anchor Beach Charter School. All the kids go there..." I trailed off when she stops nodding and her eyes drift shut. "Excuse me?" I snap. Her head snapped up and she nearly tumbled off her seat. Her eyes reflect her fear and I suddenly feel bad for scaring the girl. Still, in the interest of preventing chaos in my home, I insist,"Can you please look at me when I'm speaking to you?" Callie nodded her agreement.

 _ **Lena:**_

It was clear after the fourth time Callie's eyes drifted shut that she was exhausted and that Stef was too. "Stef" I call out, interrupting her latest spiel regarding the house rules and putting a calming hand on her thigh, "Callie is exhausted, sweetie. Let's all get some sleep and we can finish our discussion in the morning or after school; okay? Stef removed my hand from her thigh and exhaled loudly before she retreated up the stairs with her tea. I grimace at her apparent annoyance; despite her earlier mushiness, it was obvious that she is still frustrated with me. Callie's silence and wariness hadn't helped any, though she certainly couldn't help the latter. I make a note to cuddle with Stef and force the truth out of her tonight before turning to the nearly sleeping child, "Come on Callie, I'll show you where you will be sleeping tonight."

I made up the couch for Callie and attempted to fill the silence with questions, "Do you remember where the restroom is? Are you warm enough? Did you have enough to eat? Do you need a toothbrush?" Callie efficiently answered all four questions with a single nod. I went to retrieve a toothbrush and some toothpaste for her and handed them over with an additional question "Are you okay?"

She looked around, took a deep breath and opened her mouth to speak when Stef walked in and offered Callie some clothes to sleep in. I frowned as Callie flinched when Stef stepped into the room and wondered what had happened in her past to make her so fearful. Stef must have sensed her fear as well, because she softened her tone and added, "Tonight, if you want to leave your clothes outside of the bathroom, I'll wash them and make sure they're clean for tomorrow, ok?" Callie stared at her hands and Stef scowled before wandering off. I sat back down and tried to continue our conversation. "Callie, it looked like you were going to say something?" Silence. "I'm sorry you were interrupted, but if you want to talk, you know where our room is right?" Silence. Great; now she wasn't even acknowledging me. "Can you look at me so I know you understand?" She lifted watery eyes to mine and confirmed her understanding with a nod. I felt my chest clinch at the sorrow I found in her eyes and in her body language and yielded, "Okay, good night sweetie."

 _ **Stef:**_

I felt a little guilty about the conversation I'd had with Brandon; asking him to "step up while Callie was in the house" was putting a lot of pressure on the thirteen-year-old. Lena would be furious if she knew that I had shared that Callie had been in juvie. Also, I wasn't thrilled at Brandon questioning Lena's judgment about bringing Callie home but I'd have to let that little annoyance go since I needed him to monitor things and protect the twins if need be. Despite Bill's assurances, I didn't know Callie and I wasn't certain that our home was the appropriate transitional placement for her.

After checking on the twins, I realize that Lena's assertion about my exhaustion was correct and head toward our bedroom. "So, does she talk?" I asked, entering our bedroom and tugging Lena by her hand over to our bed. For some reason, the girl's silence grated on my nerves. "She does. She talked to David before I met her. She was upset about someone named Jude. I guess he was supposed to be there today?" Lena responded

"Jude? Who is he? A boyfriend?" I grumbled, this unknown factor adding to my aggravation. The girl can't be more than ten years old and she's mooning over a boy? "Len... how old is she exactly? Nine? Ten?" I see Lena's eye flash and a warning goes off in my head, "Seriously Stef? She's twelve, which I already told you outside. And I have no idea who Jude is. She didn't exactly answer my questions when I asked her about him in the car."

"A mute juvenile delinquent. This is what you bring me?" I asked, burying my face in her neck in mirth. Lena pulled back to scowl at me, "Stef!" "What?" I asked innocently, pushing her gently onto her side of the bed. She sleepily tells me about her conversation with the twins and wonders about Marianna's sudden unwillingness to meet her birth mother. Her voice trails off and I motion her over, pulling her top half onto my side of the bed to cuddle. I love this woman and her good heart; even if she is the reason I'll probably go grey early.

 _ **Callie:**_

Lena's nicknames were cute I thought as I stepped into the piping hot bath. They remind me of my mama, I think, as I grip her necklace.

I stay in the bath for a while, soaking my bruises before hugging my knees to my chest, rubbing at my sternum and forcing my tears back into my chest. I feel like I've been fighting a war against my emotions all day and, if I'm honest, I've lost at least the last six battles. "I'm sorry, momma. I'm so sorry", I whisper, wondering what she would say if she could see me now. I shake off the thought before my mind can provide an unkind answer and force myself to think about something else. But my brain is stubborn and my thoughts float back to her as my hands over the childish stickers on the wall. She would be so disappointed in me, I conclude as I fight off another vicious round of tears.

I think about Jude, biting the skin around my thumbnail as I come up with various ways to get ahold of him. Eventually, the water cools, and I get out of the bath and changed into the pajamas Stef gave me. After wiping down the bathroom counter and cleaning out the basin, I grab my dirty clothes and the hamper I'd tossing the kitchen napkins into and wander off in search of the laundry room. It isn't hard to find and I start the wash, hopping on the washer and re-reading Chapter 2 of my book.

* * *

I generally avoided wandering around foster homes in the dark after my first foster home. Still, after I finished Chapter Three of my book and folded the laundry, I was thirsty and figured a drink of water wouldn't hurt anyone. I ran into Marianna and after an awkward interaction with her over some medicine she was pocketing - which I confirmed was not hers - I helped myself to a cup of water and surveyed the clean kitchen. Something on the corner table caught my eye. _A cell phone._ I hurried over and snatched it off its charger; it was Brandon's based on the cheesy cover photo of him, Lena and Stef. I nearly shouted in delight when I found that it did not have an activated passcode.

I dialed from memory and hid behind the refrigerator while the call rang through. "Jude?! Hey, hey baby, it's me! Yeah, I'm out and I... I'm coming. I promise, Jude. I just, I got to figure out how to get there." After we finished talking, I deleted the call entry, returned the phone to its charger and wandered to my makeshift bedroom. I moved the couch, angling it toward the entryway so I could see anyone trying to come in; the motion irritating my bruised ribs. I'd put it back before anyone woke up.

I would visit Jude tomorrow, I decided.

 _ **Lena:**_

Stef ignored her alarm the next morning and I shoved her, "Turn it OFF Stef!" She quieted the ringer and mumbled incoherently into her pillow. I stared at the ceiling for a bit before sighing with the realization that I owed her an apology.

"Ok, so I've been thinking ... and I know how mad I would've been if you would've made such a huge decision without consulting me. I'm sorry for agreeing to take Callie without asking you." "It's fine" Stef mumbled into her pillow. At my silence, she turned her head and pulled me closer, "It's fine. All right? I'm ok. She's not exactly the ... the warmest or chattiest kid I've ever met but I'll deal." I kissed her and confirmed, "so you aren't still mad at me?" "No." she smirked. "But you still owe me and I haven't forgotten". I swatted at her arm in feigned annoyance before forcing myself out of bed and sliding into my robe. "Yes dear, you mentioned this many times last night?"

"Lena," she said, sitting up, grabbing my arms and putting on her serious face, "I'm serious. It's fine, as long as she doesn't mess with our family. It's fine." I murmured "okay Mama Tiger" against her quick kisses.

* * *

After showering, dressing and make my first sweep to wake the kids, I headed downstairs to start breakfast, swinging first by the living room to check on Callie. She was up, I supposed, based on the folded linens and tidied living area. I sighed as I headed into the kitchen as I recalled that I had never made it back to the kitchen to clean last evening; I was not looking forward to cleaning up the leftover mess. I was pleasantly surprised to find the kitchen clean before I narrowed my eyes in suspicion – the kitchen was _too_ clean _._ The misplaced dish towel made clear the culprit and I sighed when I realized that Callie must have cleared up after dinner even after I'd asked her not to.

I shook off my concern and started the eggs before moving to toss the offending dishtowel into the hamper. I'd nearly dropped it into the hamper before I noticed that the clothes and linens in it were clean and neatly folded; had Callie slept at all? I made a mental note to tell her that I appreciated her help but that she needed to sleep. The kids arguing and loud steps announced that they were definitely up. The loud shouting about shower length made clear that they would be heading my way shortly.

Stef walked in and kissed me, missing my mouth, on her way to the coffee maker. Callie quietly appeared from the side of the fridge and, after acknowledging Stef's greeting with a nod, made herself a cup of coffee from which she took several swigs.

 _ **Stef:**_

I stared at Callie in shock as she swallowed her second mouthful of black coffee.

"Hey now? Aren't you a bit young to be drinking coffee?" I asked after Callie leaned against the counter holding her drink close. Her eyes flickered with fear as she looked from me to her cup several times before she offered me the cup, her hand shaking. I slowly walked closer to her, "Hey, hey ... it's fine for today, but let's try to limit how much of this stuff you drink. Okay?" She nodded, setting her cup down unsteadily, her breathing shallow. "Creamer?" I asked. She shook her head no and quickly finished her coffee, her eyes on me the whole time.

She was terrified of me, I realized. For some reason, this hurts my feelings.

 _ **Callie:**_

No coffee? But I loved drinking coffee; coffee helped me function. I had started drinking it a year ago when my first foster mother made me prepare it each morning for her, along with preparing our breakfast and a host of other chores.

It was the single best thing in my life aside from Jude. Still, Stef's query wasn't really a question; it was more like an admonishment. I reluctantly offered her the cup, my hand betraying me by shaking noticeably. Her eyes softened and I eyed her critically wondering what she was up to. When she gave me permission to drink the coffee I had already poured, I gulped down the remaining coffee before she could change her mind; burning my throat a little in the process. I nodded thanks to her and stood up to wash my cup.

I took two steps backward when Lena walked over. "Honey?" she whispered. I looked up to confirm she was talking to me. "Yes, you" she smiled. "You didn't need to clean the kitchen last night. I told you that, right?" I nodded and stepped further back - into a wall – as she moved closer and sat on a nearby stool, effectively cornering me. "You aren't in trouble Callie" she promised, her voice low. "Thank you for cleaning up last night honey, but you don't have to tidy the kitchen or do the laundry unless it's your turn on the chore chart. We want you to be resting at night. Okay?" I nodded my understanding as I continued to seek out an escape route. "Go get ready for school okay; we leave in ten. And take a protein bar; don't think I didn't notice that you didn't eat anything."


	4. I run to you

AN: Thank you for the reviews; I appreciate you all taking the time to read my work. I'll try to figure out a posting schedule now that I've gotten all of the pre-edited Chapters (1-5) up. Also, I so sorry for this long Chapter but it seemed manipulative to split it anywhere.

 _ **Callie:**_

 _Who had school on a beach?!_ My eyes were wide as we drove up to the school and I took it all in. I didn't belong here and I reminded myself not to get too excited, bitterly recalling Lena's words to Stef, David and me, "it's just for a few weeks." I frowned at my own dismay and cautioned myself to lock my emotions down. Crying at school was not the way to lay low. My thoughts were disrupted by Lena, who waved me over and I looked apologetically at Brandon, who Lena volunteered to walk me to my first class. Brandon made his annoyance clear and once Lena was out of sight, pointed out the school's entrance and spouted off indecipherable instructions on how to get to Timothy's class. At my blank stare, he repeated his instructions, apologized and explained that we only had twenty minutes until classes began and that he still needed to practice for his competition before taking off.

I debated between following him or standing still while other students openly gaped at me. "Hey, wait up!" I shouted as I chased after him. _Better the devil you know._

* * *

Though I knew little about the piano, I liked music and I knew Brandon was good; there was no debating that. He came alive when he played, his eyes dancing when he described his composition, which was made up of the five members of his family. He looked up after he finished playing the piece a second time, muttering about something still being missing from the piece – I shook my head fiercely in disagreement. His song sounded like family, it sounded like a crowded room, like laughter, like history – it was perfect.

He played a couple other pieces inattentively and kept me entertained with stories about how the twins had joined his family – all fear and big eyes. He confessed that it had been hard at first to share - his toys, his house, his mothers - and at my raised eyebrow, he explained why he'd agreed that his moms should adopt the twins. "I figured there was enough to go around." My eyebrows crept toward my hairline with a second question. "Enough of what?" He guessed. I nodded in the affirmative. He shrugged, "Everything. There was enough of everything." I wondered what it was like to have enough. What it would be like to have someone choose me - forever. I was torn from my thoughts by Talya, Brandon's apparent girlfriend. After kissing Brandon on the cheek she'd reminded us of the time and, at Brandon's request, agreed to walk me to Timothy's class, which was also her first class.

* * *

Talya was friendly enough, I concluded, although decidedly too chatty. I nodded along as she shared how she and Brandon had grown up together and, as they were both artistically inclined, the two had gotten closer over the past year. "And then we started dating" she crooned. Though, she clarified quickly, if Stef, Lena or her parents asked, they were still "just friends." I rolled my eyes at her dramatics. _Who was I going to tell?_

* * *

Timothy was interesting – another time and I might have found his class downright entertaining, despite the heavy-handed discussion on transformation. Still, when he called my name, admitting that he understood that I probably hadn't read the material – _I had –_ and asked me "What would you do if you suddenly woke up and found yourself living a nightmare?" I wondered if Lena had told him something about me - if his question was a mocking one.

I frowned as I thought about his question - what had I done when I suddenly woke up and found myself living a nightmare? I sobbed in disbelief, I shouted into a bottomless void and I refused to believe the truth - that my mother was dead and that it was my father's fault - before I learned to simply put one foot in front of the other. I stopped living my life and started to exist. Timothy called my name again and I looked up, angry at his obliviousness. He smiled nervously at my lack of answer and continued to wait. I stared at him, my eyes unblinking and my face expressionless. The blankness of my face and the accompanying silence made him shift uncomfortably. My mouth twitched in mirth, _now who's uncomfortable?_

After a moment, he moved on to another student and I dropped my smirk as I stared out the window.

* * *

 _ **Stef:**_

"Well, shit!" I muttered, sitting in my patrol car. "What the hell was Mike thinking?" My mind drifted back to that impromptu meeting – _more like an ambush –_ and my captain telling me who my new partner was. I should have known something was amiss when I walked in; Roberts had looked so damned gleeful and Mike refused to meet my eye. Still, I hadn't meant to laugh quite so loudly at the suggestion, but the thought of being partnered with my ex-husband was … laughable. I cursed, hitting the steering wheel, as I remembered how Mike just stood there staring at me as I shot daggers at him while querying why in the hell we would be partnered together.

"I asked. Is that a problem?" I repeated in the car, mocking Mike's words in a high-pitched voice. "Damn right it's a problem, you ass." I groused. And now, here I was in the car talking to myself like a lunatic, trying to figure out a good way to tell Lena about this most recent turn of events. Lena was going to be a _real delight_ when I told her. I hadn't been lying when I had assured Mike that "this was not going to go well for me."

* * *

 _ **Callie:**_

Marianna had proven to be surprisingly helpful; once you got past the girly clothes, snark and pill theft, she was downright likable. When she sat down next to me at the picnic table, I rolled my eyes until she spoke suddenly.

"If it were me, I'd make sure to go out the back way. Lena's office looks out over the front entrance and there's a bus stop three blocks from here" she blurted out. I looked at her, shocked. _How had she known? S_ he smirked before frowning, "At my last foster home, I had a foster sister who was a runner; she'd take off every time they brought her back. You've had the same look in your eyes since we met." _Oh._ I smiled sheepishly at her while tucking her directions away for later use.

She smiled and moved to get up before turning to me with a worried look on her face, "Be careful though; okay?" I nodded.

* * *

Though I'd missed my shot to leave during the morning break due to Lena's spontaneous parent tour; the delay had given me some time to refine my escape plan. I'd been able to use the computer lab to look up the bus schedule and by the time lunch rolled around, I knew exactly where I was going when I strolled off campus. Following Marianna's directions, I walked rapidly to the bus stop and dug out the appropriate fare as the bus drew near. The bus driver did a double take when I boarded, gaping openly at my face as I deposited my coins. Though, he at least had the decency to sheepishly look away after I cleared my throat and scowled at him.

I exhaled deeply when I reached my seat, only to have to suck the breath back in when Brandon climbed on to the bus. I pointed to the bus door to indicate that he needed to leave but he ignored me and sat down. My dismay must have been obvious because he began to speak rapidly to me, "Sorry for following you … where are you going? What's up with the not talking thing? Did you know that Marianna didn't talk for a long time after she came to live with us? Mama called it 'selective mutism' but I think she was just shy." I sighed heavily, praying for him to shut up.

He hesitated before speaking again, "Who's Jude?" I turned my body toward him and raised my eyebrow in inquiry, curious how he knew Jude's name. "He called my phone earlier and asked if you were okay. He had some questions about whether or not you were still coming and … where you were." he explained, shrugging, "I tried to answer him but some guy took the phone from him and hung up before I could answer. Is he your boyfriend?"

"He's my brother," I answered, breaking my silence. "Oh!" His mouth snapped closed as his eyes got bigger. Mercifully, he stopped talking and we rode the bus in silence until I tugged on his jacket advising him that our stop was next.

* * *

 _ **Stef:**_

I could hear Lena's heels clicking on the kitchen floor as I snacked on some string cheese. "Hi!" I greeted her, kissing her after I'd swallowed the cheese I'd been chewing. Her response was unenthusiastic and I sensed that something had happened, "What's wrong? Everything all right with Callie?"

"I haven't even checked on her yet…I just got here myself" she answered, sighing, "Something is up with the twins. Marianna's pretending to be sick. And Jesus is all clammed up. He's not saying something. Do you think maybe I'm putting too much pressure on Marianna about Ana?" I cut her off with a quick kiss and pulled her in for a hug. She buried her face into my neck and assured me, "You keep me sane".

I laughed nervously before stepping back and warning her, "I don't know how... sane you're going to feel after you hear what happened at work today. Now that Vasquez is leaving, you're never going to guess who Roberts is partnering me up with." I forced out another laugh. "Who?" she asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Mike. Apparently, he asked for me …" Lena's narrowed eyes and pursed lips accompanied by her angry sounds made clear her dismay.

"Honey, are you going to say anything?" I asked. When she didn't answer, I laughed again before trying to tug her closer to me. "Oh please, do not go all non-verbal on me. We already have one mute in the house. It is not a big deal, honey" I tried to assure her. "Come on, honey. It's Mike. It's just Mike" I reminded her, reaching for her hand. She withdrew her hand as the doorbell rang and walked out of the room. _Damn you, Mike._

 _ **Lena:**_

Between Marianna's feigned illness, Jesus covering for her and Stef's "new" partner, my headache was quickly morphing into a full-fledged migraine. I pulled the door open and … saw that Mike had arrived. Mike who always showed up at inopportune times. Mike who had "asked for" Stef to be his partner.

"Hi, Mike." I greeted him unenthusiastically, frowning at him before I turned to tell Brandon to come down. My frown deepened as we waited in uncomfortable silence. When Brandon hadn't come down five minutes later and Mike was still on my front porch, I contemplating faking an illness myself. I shouted again for Brandon as Mike let himself in.

Four minutes – and a conversation with Mike which seriously called into question my feminist credentials – later, Jesus advised us that Brandon wasn't home.

 _ **Stef:**_

"Okay, so Jesus says that Brandon and Callie did not walk home with him and Marianna," I said, worried; it wasn't like Brandon to simply disappear without saying anything.

Mike put the blame at Callie's feet a little too eagerly and, while I didn't particularly trust Callie myself, I sharply reminded him to cut the shit. When he asked why Lena and I felt like we had to "take in strays like some damn homeless shelter" I offered him the generous option of "either shutting the hell up or leaving our home". He took the former option.

* * *

We tried Talya first and she confirmed she had last seen him with Callie after their seventh-period class and I swore out loud. Where was he? Lena rang Brandon's friends in between calls and texts to Brandon and asked if they'd seen him, they hadn't. She also called his co-competitors to confirm that he hadn't gone straight to the competition - he hadn't.

I jumped up to grab my computer when I saw Jesus in the living room on his phone; I had installed an app on the kids' phones earlier this year after Jesus kept misplacing his. After activating the app, I took a shaky breath, and after asking the profane version of "what the hell is Brandon doing is San Ysidro?" I grabbed my car keys, intending to go and find my son.

Just before I left, I turned to Lena and looked at her critically. "What?" she asked. "This right here." I nearly shouted. "This is exactly what I was worried about!" I ignored the tears that threatened to fall and sped out to the car.

* * *

We were ten minutes away when my phone rang and Brandon's name appeared. I answered the phone on speaker.

"Mom?" "Brandon? WHERE ARE YOU? WHY ARE YOU IN SAN YSIDRO" I yelled at him, Lena flinching.

His voice cracked, "Mom, can you come to San Ysidro? I came down here with Callie to get her little brother. But the guy in the house freaked and he started hitting and kicking her; he won't stop." _Callie had a brother?_

"Brandon, where are you, sweetie? Are you inside a house? Are you with Callie? Are you hiding?" After some static, he replies "I'm outside. Callie wouldn't let me go in with her and she locked me out." "He's hurting her and she won't let me in" he cried, the frustration clear on his face.

"Why did she lock you out. What is she doing? Where is she?" I ask, confused. "She said she didn't want me to get hurt; she didn't want you to be mad at her." He paused "She's in the house with that guy trying to get her brother..." I hear him panicking. I take a deep breath. "Okay. I'm almost there baby; don't you dare go inside that house. Okay? And don't hang up the phone; stay on the line."

* * *

I'm four minutes away, speeding recklessly toward the GPS coordinates identifying Brandon's phone when I remember to activate my siren and accompanying lights. As I spot Brandon, I put the car in park and hear someone screaming "Help; he's got a gun. He's going to kill her". I realize its Brandon who is staring at a window. I learn over and grab kiss Lena quickly before telling her shortly, "Take Brandon. You stay in the car until I come get you; understand?" She nods her understanding.

* * *

 _ **Callie:**_

"You stay here," I tell Brandon, pointing at the curb "and don't move, no matter what. Okay?". "No way" he insists, shaking his head, "I'm not going to let you go in there by yourself."

I sigh and explain quickly, "Look, this guy is pretty mean and he's unpredictable if he gets mad. You need to stay outside so you don't get hurt." He looks combative as he asks, "What about you? What if you get hurt?". "Don't worry about me, okay? I'm used to him, I'll be fine. Stay here and wait while I get Jude." He pouts. "Please?" I plead "Stef and Lena would kill me if something happened to you. I just need to get Jude and I can't do that if I'm worried about you."

"Fine" he grumbled as he sat on the curb whipping out his phone.

* * *

A quick peek in the window assures me that Jim is sitting on the couch watching television, so I sneak around to the back door and find Jude washing dishes, the handprint on his face infuriating me. "Damn" I muttered - I had taken too long to get to him. I sighed before tapping on the screen door and whispering Jude's name to get his attention. When I realize he can't hear me, I ease the door open and slide through it; locking the door behind me just in case Brandon tries to be a hero.

"Jude!", I whisper, trying not to startle him. He hears me and beams as he turns. I motion for him to be quiet and he nods obediently, his smile dimming a bit. I grab his hand and pull him behind me and run to unlock the back door, which is jammed. I swear as I recall that the door often jammed and I realize that opening it would reveal to Jim that I was there. I scramble to open a window before recalling that Jim had made me nail them all shut when I had tried to sneak out the window once.

* * *

I heard movement from the couch and panicked as I realized that Jim was getting up. I look around frantically as he turns around, his eyes landing on me. His mottled face reddens when he sees me and he shouts "Whoa, hey! What the hell are you doing here? Didn't learn your lesson the first time huh?" I stutter out "I … I just want to talk to Jude" backing away from him, keeping Jude behind me with a firm grip. "Shut up!" he continues to yell, "You think you can just break into my house right under my nose? No! No, you get out of this house!" I'm trying, I think.

Using my hips and one arm, I push Jude toward the kitchen and mumble that he needs to climb into the cupboard underneath the sink; he shakily complies. It wasn't the safest spot, but it's spacious enough and would keep him out of Jim's reach.

To avoid drawing Jim closer to Jude, I step forward and settle into a familiar stance, bending my knees slightly while balancing on my toes. I'd learned how to dodge punches early on in my time in foster care – speed was critical. When he moves so do I, I sprint the opposite direction from him - trying desperately to get to the bat I know he keeps near the couch - when I slip on some water. I scramble to get up but I'm too slow to catch my balance. Jim grabs me by the arm and trips me; kicking me in the ribs twice before pulling me up by my hair and dragging me to the living room. I try desperately to get loose while also limiting my screams as I can hear Brandon beating on the window and yelling, "Hey, don't touch her! Calm down, man." Jim kicks at my ribs cruelly as he yanks my head back and forth. Eventually, I don't fight him; I know it's useless. As long as Jude is safe, I don't care what he does.

* * *

He drags me into a standing position before he reaches into a drawer and pulls his gun out, grinning maliciously. "Why are you here?" he asks. "To get Jude," I answer. "Well, he ain't going nowhere. Where is the little fruit?" I don't answer him. He releases my hair and slaps me viciously. "No," I tell him, "I won't tell you.". He laughs loudly in my face.

"I could shoot you right now; you know that? You think anyone is going to notice that you're missing? Hell, I could shoot you in clear daylight and tell everyone that I was just defending my home from a foster kid out to get revenge. You think they won't believe me?" He slaps me again. "Answer me, Callie," he taunts, "who would believe you?"

"No one" I answer. "Damn right" he responds, raising the gun.


	5. Breathe

_**Callie:**_

Something startled Jim and his hand drops a little. I react immediately by sprinting into the kitchen, shoving the table against the door separating me from Jim and heaving a chair on top for good measure. Seeing that there are no knives out, I smash a drinking glass in the corner, palming a large chunk of glass before joining Jude in the cupboard. I pull him into my chest carefully, holding my weapon away from him and shush him, smoothing his hair down over and over again.

"Gun!" I hear someone shout and more shouting follows. "Police Police, freeze! Freeze! Get down on your knees now! Put the gun down! Put it down NOW!" I hum over the sounds of a scuffle and sing Jude through multiple thumps and the apparent arrival of more people. When it gets eerily quiet, I scoot as far into the cabinet as I can taking Jude with me, my ribs protesting my actions.

* * *

I can make out voices in the living room and I hear someone ask, "Are you okay?". I wonder what lies Jim will tell this time. I'm surprised to hear Brandon respond rather than Jim but I am relieved that he is alright. _I hadn't gotten Stef and Lena's son killed._ "Brandon, where is Callie?" I hear a woman ask _._ I realize seconds later, it's Stef and I can also hear Lena somewhere in the background. I motion to Jude to stay quiet. Maybe they will forget that I was here and I can take Jude and run away and start over. I startle as I hear several items crash in the kitchen – the table and chair I conclude – and I hold my breath as I hear someone rattle the back door. I hold my makeshift weapon near the cupboard door.

"Stef?" someone queries just before the cabinet door opens, scaring Jude, who begins to sob anew. When I see Stef's gun and Lena's shocked face, I drop the piece of glass I'd been clutching and let out the ragged breath I'd been holding. I pause to look at Stef's face, which is stern and I can tell she is angry – I knew she would be. I look at Jude and back to her, silently explaining. I regret having thrown away my weapon when Stef moves towards us, her face still stormy, and as she motions that she is going to grab me I flinch hitting my head on the cupboard. I deny the pain and ignore the sobs racking my body, focusing instead on Jude. As his cries grow in volume, I close my eyes and pull him closer still and shush him once more, smoothing his hair as I always do. _He'd been brave tonight._

* * *

 _ **Lena:**_

It had been fifteen minutes since Stef and Mike had gone into the house; their shouts carrying to the car. My breathing was shallow as other officers arrived and I audibly exhaled when a large man was escorted to a police car, Brandon flipping him the bird.

I hurried to her when Stef waved Brandon and me into the house and watched her face transition from badass to tearful as she pulled Brandon into her arms in the living room, hugging him tightly and asking him repeatedly if he was okay. He'd nodded and because she continued to study him, he verbalized, "I'm fine. I was outside the whole time … I'm fine." Stef grabbed me and pulled me into her arms, her eyes apologizing for her earlier comments - I quickly lower my own to the floor. Not to be deterred, Stef puts her finger under my chin and forces me to look at her before pulling me into a hug murmuring her apology into my ear. I bury a kiss into her neck before I notice Brandon searching the room with this eyes. Stef verbalizes his question asking "Where's Callie?" Brandon looked at the floor and confessed, "I don't know." Her eyes widened as she wanders into the bedrooms, dragging Brandon and me along with her, to search them.

At the fourth room, I know that our search area needs to be more focused. "Brandon, where was the last place you saw Callie?" I asked. "She was in the living room and Jim had the gun pointed at her" he answered as I gasped. "She might have gone out the back though" Brandon added, pointing at a door behind Stef "that's how she got in."

* * *

Mike had taken Brandon outside when it became clear that Brandon was exhausted and panicked. Stef tested the door which we assumed led to the back of the house and frowned when it didn't move. She shoved it a few more times and, eventually, took a couple of steps back and threw her shoulder into it, causing a crash. Someone had barricaded the door with a table and a chair. I pulled the chair upright and looked around as Stef checked the back door, mouthing that it was locked from the inside. _Where in the hell had Callie gone?_

I froze as I heard a noise coming from near the sink and moved closer. A second later, I heard it again – someone inside the cabinet was crying. "Stef?" I whispered. When she turned, I pointed to the cabinet and mouthed _Callie._ I opened the door and found Callie and a little boy who began crying loudly. Callie's dropped a piece of glass when she saw us and pulled the boy closer with her shaking hands, skillfully quieting his cries. She'd done this before, it seemed.

Stef had walked over and leaned in to better see, which caused Callie to flinch and hit her head on the cupboard with a loud bang. _Ouch._ Her face revealed nothing as she continued shushing the little boy, though her silent sobbing made it obvious that the impact hurt. I motioned for Stef to sit. "Callie, honey, who is this little guy?" Her eyes stayed closed. "Callie girl?" I swept the glass out of the way with my foot and scooted closer to the cabinet. "Callie, can you look at me please?" _No response._ "Callie, just open your eyes for me, honey ... give me something." I pleaded.

"Callie?" Steff murmured, laying a quieting hand on my arm. "It's okay. You can stay in there for a while. I sent Brandon and Mike home to be with the other kids. I need to finish talking to the other officers and I need to make a few calls. I'll come back after that though and then we will go home. You'll stay here with Lena, okay?" Stef left without waiting for an answer.

* * *

 _ **Stef:**_

I finished my verbal report to my colleagues and headed back outside, where I gulped down fresh air while sitting on the curb that Brandon said he'd been told to stay on. Brandon had insisted on following Callie to this house, he'd confessed, and when he wouldn't go away, she'd tried to protect him. I sighed and rubbed my hand over the curb trying to picture Callie demanding that Brandon, who was two heads taller than her, stay outside so he didn't get hurt. Under different circumstances, it might have been funny. But Brandon was my son and she was a little girl sent to fight an adult's battle and there was nothing humorous about that.

I was perplexed by her actions and rubbed my face in frustration. The system had somehow put a twelve-year-old girl in a position where she had to run away to see her brother and – based on the fingerprints on the boy's face – to protect him. I was reminded of Marianna and Jesus five years ago when six-year-old Jesus would stand between the world and his sister; trying to protect her.

* * *

I dialed Bill and filled him in, and though he gasped in the appropriate places, his concern felt disingenuous. Particularly after he'd whined that he had no other placements available for Callie. "I'm not asking you to move her Bill or to place Jude" I snapped, having learned from Brandon that was the boy's name. "I am asking you why you didn't tell us she had a brother. I'm asking you why I walked in on one of your foster parents holding a gun to the head of a twelve-year-old. I am asking why both kids have handprints on their faces so detailed I could fingerprint the guy who hit them. Bill, what the hell happened here?" At his silence, I warned him that I would be speaking to him further at a later time.

I groaned as I stood up and headed back into the kitchen. I had been gone too long already.

* * *

 _ **Callie:**_

Someone shuffled into the kitchen and I opened my eyes briefly to confirm it was Stef. "There you are," she said as I made eye contact with her. Her eyes flicked from me to Jude and her brow was furrowed deeply. "Brandon told me about your brother," she revealed. "Is this him? Is this Jude?" I nodded.

"Hey, Jude! I'm Stefanie, but you can call me Stef," she whispered to him as he hid behind my shoulder. "I talked to Bill and he agreed that it would be best if you came home with us for the night. Okay?" She sighed at the lack of response and held out her hand to me. "Come on Callie, let's get you two home and cleaned up." _Home?_ I froze for a few moments before I loosened my grip on Jude and climbed out of the cupboard, hiding a wince at how _everything_ ached. Jude climbed out behind me, using my t-shirt as leverage, and I tucked him behind me with one arm as we walked to the car.

Stef opened the car door and motioned for us to get in and I held up a finger, silently asking for time. She nodded her consent. I took a few steps with Jude and kneeled down. "Listen, Juju, I need to be honest with you and you need to try to stay calm" I whispered. "I ran away so I could come and get you come and get you and there's a chance I might have to go back to juvie for a little while."

"Why? THAT'S NOT FAIR!" he wailed and Stef started towards us. "Stop it right now Jude!" I demanded as I raised my finger a second time toward Stef. Her responsive eye roll made clear that her patience was wearing thin but she walked back to her prior position.

I tugged him into my arms, "Sometimes things aren't fair Jude, you know that." I pulled back, "Look. You know how I talk about how endearing you are … about how foster parents can't help but love you?" He nodded. "Stef and Lena are decent bub. And I really think I can get Stef and Lena to keep you" I said, swiping angrily at my own tears "but you need to be good, baby – no yelling, no wetting the bed, no grumbling. Best behavior. Okay?" He nodded through his tears before questioning, "If you have to go to juvie, you will come and get me when you can though right?"

"Jude," I said, blubbering, "I will always come back for you." His lower lip trembled and he looked at me skeptically so I grabbed his face and looked into his eyes and promised again, "I will always find you Juju; always."

 _ **Lena:**_

 _So that little boy was Jude? This was a surprise._

I watched as Callie talked to him; her posture more parent than pre-teen and a part of me wanted to eavesdrop to hear what they were discussing. But they were far enough away and Callie's voice was so soft that I couldn't hear even one errant word, except for Jude's early outburst, which Callie quickly quieted before pulling him into her and hugging him tightly.

* * *

Jude was crying when they walked back to the car and it was evident by Callie's red eyes that she had been crying as well. When she didn't get into the car, I looked at her curiously. She cleared her throat and looked at Jude and said, "Thank you for coming tonight. I know you mostly came because of Brandon and I'm sorry that he got involved in this." She tripped over her own words "I tried to get him to go back to school you know? Not that that's an excuse, but I did, I tried to make him go back …" she trailed off again.

"Anyway, I know running away is a violation and I know you already spoke to Bill. And I wanted to let you know, I won't fight you on sending me back to Chula Vista, but …" she paused to collect herself "… can you please think about keeping Jude. He's hardly any trouble and he'll be good; he promised." Our eyes widened.

"Please?! He's really sweet and really helpful and he's been getting a lot better at math." she added, her lip quivering "It's just you guys seem nice and I think he would feel safe with you. And if you send him away, it will be a punishment and he didn't do anything wrong; it was me. You can even drop me off tonight before you go home if you just promise to keep him safe. And he won't make a fuss, I already explained it all to him."

"Callie!" Stef interrupted, waiting for Callie to look at her "Come here."

 _ **Stef:**_

"Callie!" I snapped, trying to get her to stop talking while also trying not to cry in front of the girl, "Come here." She looked at me apprehensively before she helped Jude into the car and followed me. I sat down on the curb and motioned for her to sit beside me. "So, you are talking now?' When she shrugged, I continued "I … we are not sending you away because you came back here for your brother. Period." I followed her eyes to the car where Jude was peering out the window at her. "I would have done the same thing if it was someone I loved." She looked at me in disbelief.

I sighed, "Cal, it wasn't smart for you to come down here on your own … and we are definitely going to talk more about that … but it also isn't a crime." I could hear her sniffle. I bent down forcing her to look me in the eye, "You are not disposable Callie. You are not worthless. Do you understand me?" She nodded unconvincingly and I tried again, "Honey, you are twelve years old and you are bargaining with your life for Jude but you are still a kid; you need someone to take care of you too. Please don't try to trade away your happiness and health for Jude's." Callie looked at me. "I promise you there is enough health, happiness, and fun in this world for you and Jude to both have enough." She nodded passively, not meeting my eye, and I let out an exasperated breath as we headed back toward the car; it was going to be a long road with this one.

With Callie snuggled up next to Jude in the back seat, I walked around the car and pulled Lena into my arms on the passenger side of the car, resting my head on hers before muttering "Don't be mad …" into her hair. "Why would I be mad; what are you thinking?" She asked. "I'm thinking that we are not sending these kids back into the system...not yet." Lena pulled back and nodded in agreement, "we really don't have the room though". I pulled her in for a second hug, "then we'll make room." I chuckled when she mumbled 'mushy' into my chest.

* * *

When I started the car and the overhead lights came on, Callie whined and threw her hands over her eyes and I remembered. In my rush to get to Brandon and disarm Jim, I had completely forgotten about the screaming on the phone and Brandon's words and her hitting her head on the cupboard.

I shifted the car back into park and turned around in my seat quickly, whipping off my seatbelt, "Callie, where are you hurt?" "I'm fine" she lied, sitting further back in her seat. At my scowl, she revised her answer, "my head hurts and my ribs and my hand" she answered, holding her hand up as evidence, blood trickling down her arm in the process. Lena gaped and asked, "How?"

"I broke a glass … just in case Jim came back." I raised my eyebrows. I remembered seeing her drop the chunk of glass when she saw me but I hadn't thought about why she had it until now nor had I realized she had been gripping it so tightly.

"We are going to the hospital" I declared. "Your hand probably needs stitches, I want someone to look at your head and your ribs could be broken. Callie looked prepared to object before I added: "and I want someone to look at Jude to make sure he is okay." She looked over at him and relaxed her face before agreeing, "Yeah; okay."

It was after midnight by the time we got home from the hospital and save for the lamp by the front door, the lights were all off – resulting in me tripping and dropping all of the bags. Callie moved quickly to help before Lena interceded. "No. Your only job is to put your pajamas on okay and go to sleep okay. No midnight cleaning please!" Lena requested. I chuckled as I walked upstairs to check on the other kids; I'd never heard that lecture before. By the time I returned downstairs, the kids were both sleeping on the couch, Jude tucked fully behind Callie.

"Why'd you move the couch" I whispered to Lena. She pointed to Callie, "I didn't. That's the second time she's done that." I went to drop a heavier blanket over them when Callie caught my wrist with her good hand before releasing it when she opened her eyes and saw that it was me. "Sorry" she mumbled. "It's okay Callie. Go back to sleep honey."

* * *

I sprinted downstairs when I heard screaming and found Jude trying to calm Callie who was obviously in the middle of a nightmare. I shooed Jude away and approached her carefully, sliding behind her on the couch and quickly grabbing her arms to stop her flailing. I hummed in her ear until she relaxed and her breathing deepened before easing out from behind her. "Does this happen a lot, Jude?" He shook his head no in a clear lie as he peered at Callie over the arm of the couch. He was exhausted; that much I could see. _Maybe I could get him to lie down with Lena for a bit._

"Jude" I spoke softly, "why don't you go and lay down with Lena for a little bit. I can sit with Callie while she sleeps." Lena held out her hand in invitation. He shook his head no, "I want to stay with Callie," he mumbled, moving closer to his sister. "Jude … Lena won't hurt you. And I'll be watching your sister so she won't be scared." I reassured him. "NO" he repeated loudly. "Jude" I started again when Callie opened her eyes and snapped, "He said no. He stays with me".

She softened her eyes and voice before turning toward her brother, "Jude, I'm sorry I scared you. Come and lay back down please". He watched us warily as he climbed in behind her obediently and snuggled into her popping his thumb into his mouth.

"Okay," I said cautiously, eager to avoid a 2:00 am confrontation. "I am going to take a little nap in that chair," I said, pointing "and if you need something you will wake me up." Callie nodded.

* * *

At 4:00 am, I woke up with a cramped back and went to crawl into bed with Lena, who rolled over onto me and grumbled into my chest about the hour. I chuckled.


	6. We're Leaving

I am so thankful that you all choose to continue reading my work. I apologize once more for the length of this chapter, but I needed to get all of this into one Chapter.

 _ **Callie:**_

I woke up with a headache and found that Jude had ignored the pillow Lena had given him in favor of laying diagonally across me. Tamping down my laughter, I inspected him carefully; we hadn't had any time last night to talk about what had happened when I left for juvie. I grimaced at the hand mark marring his face, which had darkened overnight. Though not inflicted by me, it was a maroon reminder of how I'd failed to keep Jude safe. He was so small, innocent and hopeful; he didn't deserve the life we had. Six foster homes in four years; it was no way for a little boy like Jude to grow up. I sighed angrily as I thought about Donald. I generally tried not to think of him but on days when Jude looked particularly small and scared and the world looked so large and scary – days like yesterday – I couldn't help but think about how we suffered the consequences for his mistake. I couldn't help but think about how things could have been different if Donald had simply called a cab that night, instead of driving drunk, or if he or mom had foregone the party altogether. Jude could have been a normal nine-year-old boy. As it was, he had only me and I'd been thinking lately about how I might be not be enough.

Though it had been embarrassing to beg Lena and Stef to keep him, especially while hiding that I hoped they would keep me too, I knew that Jude had to come first. I hadn't been exaggerating when I told Jude that I felt this was his chance, maybe his last chance – Brandon's stories about the twin's early days made clear that, unless I managed to screw this up for him, Lena and Stef might give a kid like Jude a fighting chance. He could run free here, get tucked in here, get kisses and hugs here, learn to ride a bike here, he could be _safe_ here.

I was pulled away from my thoughts by quiet shuffling and I turned to find Stef watching me, curiosity on her face. At my raised eyebrow, she murmured, "Oh good! You're up. I was getting bored." I chuckled before frowning in annoyance at the restriction my stitches caused as I tried to wiggle out from under Jude without waking him. I looked at her with exasperation, as though to say 'a little help?' She lifted Jude carefully as she smirked at me, her eyes laughing, and then lowered him back down, covering him carefully. My breath caught at her action; it'd been a long time since someone had cared enough to tuck Juju in.

* * *

I blinked away my tears, inspected my stitches and quietly tested my ribs as I followed Stef into the kitchen - save for a headache, the pain medicine had done its job. At the table, I stared at Stef trying to figure her out. I wondered where she and Lena had met and why they decided to become foster parents. The fifth time I peeked at Stef out of the corner of my eye, coveting her coffee, she smirked at me. Setting her paper down, she informed me "Lena and I felt that to ease your transition and given the _unfortunate_ events of last night, you should stay home from school until we get your brother enrolled." I shrugged. Jude would be happy that we'd get to spend some time together. I stared at the coffee pot longingly when she asked me what I wanted for breakfast and she sighed, poured me a cup and handed it over with some toast, demanding, "Eat the toast too and don't you dare tell Lena!" I grinned and sipped my treat. It was peaceful here, I thought, as we sat in silence.

I pretended to read my book but began to wonder again how long Lena and Stef were going to let us stay. They had made it clear last night that they were not going to send me back to juvie but it was also not their decision – it was Bill's. And, even if I didn't have to go back to juvie, it had been made clear that living with Stef and Lena was not a long-term plan. "It's just for a couple of weeks" Lena had said over and over again.

* * *

"What are you thinking about?" Stef asked as my face collapsed into a frown, her concern apparent. I faked a smile and shrugged staring into my black coffee.

She shifted on the stool beside me, "Hey, so. You talked to us last night … a lot. It was helpful to hear what was going on in your head. We … hadn't really known about Jude … obviously; we also didn't know about the pressure you felt you were under to take care of him." She cleared her throat. "Is that … do you expect to continue doing that? The talking to us? Is there anything else that you feel like you need to tell me?" I choked on my coffee, laughing silently, as Stef tested out the apparently foreign words. I realized then that Lena had coached her on the verbiage.

"Welp," she said when I didn't answer, her lips popping on the "p", "it's obviously your choice if you don't want to talk."

After a couple of moments, she added, "But Lena is going to be home in a couple of hours and we want to talk to you a little more about what happened yesterday and it would obviously be helpful if you were talking to us too. It's kind of hard to guess what you are thinking or feeling and shrugs and head tilts aren't exactly specific." I looked at my lap and felt my face turn red. I gathered that she had gone off script since minutes later, she offered me an out, "Maybe you can write some things down or type up some responses if you don't feel like talking". I nodded and turned away from her before finishing my cup of coffee and getting up to wash my cup, taking hers as well. "You can leave them in the sink Callie," Stef said, sounding tired, "Bad enough I gave you coffee, Lena would kill me if she thought I was making you wash dishes with stitches in your hand."

* * *

I was finishing my book in the kitchen when Lena returned. She called me into the living room and I grabbed Jude from the bench he'd been sitting on outside and joined Lena and Stef. "Jude, honey, you can wait in the other room if you'd like," Lena suggested. He ignored her and I pulled him down to sit on the couch beside me.

"Okay; fine. Jude stays" Stef announced. "Callie, we need to talk about last night. Can you tell us a little about what were you thinking yesterday? Is there a reason you felt that you could not come to us before you decided to leave school?" I stayed silent. "Did it occur to you to tell us you had a brother and you felt he was in danger?" I shrugged staring at my socks as her voice rose. "What were you planning to do once you saw him? Were you going to just kidnap him and bring him back here?" I counted the stitches on my socks.

"Look at me!" Stef snapped before Lena elbowed her. Jude whimpered at my side and I reached over to hold his hand before obeying her and meeting her eye. I tuned her out for a while as I looked from Stef to Lena, trying desperately to suss out their motives in bringing Jude and me back to their home. My therapist told me once that though my silence was a "good" coping mechanism it was probable that it irritated others more than it comforted me - the way she was looking at me confirmed this theory as my silence clearly irritated Stef.

"Callie, why would you put yourself and Brandon in that situation?" Stef searched my face for answers to her questions and, worried she might find something, I made my face blank. She sighed and intertwined her fingers as she continued, "Brandon could have been killed do you understand that?" Her eyes widened before narrowing in suspicion, "Did you know there was a gun in the house?" I froze because of course, I knew there was a gun in the house - that was one of many reasons I had to get Jude out. Jim had threatened to shoot me more times than I could remember and he had once shown the gun off, spinning the chamber carelessly. I couldn't tell Stef that though, she'd hate me even more than she already did.

"I asked you a question!" she snapped again, narrowing her eyes "Did you know there was a gun in the house before you decided to take off with Brandon?" I nodded. Her voice rose and she stood up quickly from the couch, "So you recklessly dragged my son into a situation where he could have been killed?" She paused. "Callie, do you know how stupid it was for you to do what you did? What if the gun had gone off? What if we hadn't gotten there in time?" I flinched at the thought of Brandon's death. "Do you have anything to say?" Stef asked. I stared at my feet and tried to ignore the tears streaming down my face.

"Callie, you will answer my questions. You are perfectly capable of talking and you had plenty to say last night." Stef fury was written on her red face. I opened my mouth to speak but I was paralyzed. She knew why I went to Jim's house; Jude. There was nothing I could say that would make this better. There was no way they were going to keep us. I was stupid to think they would let me stick around for even one day.

"CALLIE!" Stef yelled, getting my attention once more. Jude squirmed next to me and whispered my name in discomfort. I ignored Stef's yell and turned to look at him and thought again about how small he was. I thought about how, if Jude somehow got to stay here, he could have a real chance at being normal. I had promised him that this would be his chance – that I wouldn't mess it up for him. And foster kid or not, I kept my promises.

"CALLIE JACOBS!" she shouted one more time before Lena interrupted with a whispered "Stef ... enough." I snapped my attention back to her.

"I don't have much to say about yesterday," I said finally, causing Stef to sputter in anger. "I mean, you know why I went to Jim's house. I honestly just wanted to see Jude … see his face and make sure he was safe. When I saw that handprint on his face, I had no idea what to do. It was like someone had put their hand in paint and put it on his face; only there was no paint. And I knew I had to get him away from Jim and keep him away … before Jim started hitting him like he used to hit me."

I tried to make it clear to them that I only went to Jim's house for Jude because he was so damn small and innocent. I convinced myself that if I explained it clearly enough they would understand. Everything spilled out, "When my momma ..." My voice cracked and I inhaled deeply. "I have always promised him that I would make sure he was safe - that I would come for him if I felt he was in danger. I have always made it clear to Jude that he comes first. I couldn't break those promises to him. Look at him" I sobbed, pointing at him, "he is so small and so sweet and he is my world. He is the only thing - the only family - I have left." I said, crying. "I gave him my word and I had to keep it."

Stef sighed, "Callie, I understand that part. But why handle the way you did? Your actions have consequences that I am not certain you thought through; consequences which could have been much more serious if I hadn't been there. Honey, you understand why this was wrong right?" I searched her face desperately for the right answer. "Because Brandon followed me when I went to get Jude?" With her heavy sigh, I tried again "Because Jim could have shot the gun and it might have hit Brandon?" Stef rubbed her temples. _I was giving her a headache apparently._ "I'm sorry. I don't know what the right answer is; if you tell me, I'll apologize for it. Please just tell me." I confessed out of frustration.

"Callie, I don't want you apologizing for something you don't understand. My point is that you didn't need to handle this on your own. You could have told Lena or me about Jude and we would have called Bill and asked him about Jude. Instead, you ditched school and, if I hadn't tracked Brandon's phone, we would have had no idea where you were." She seemed to be waiting for me to acknowledge her words, so I nodded my comprehension. "No. Use your words," she demanded. "I'm sorry I went to San Ysidro with Brandon." I apologized obediently.

Stef rolled her eyes and I was certain – they weren't going to keep either of us. I sat and fumed and she repeated her earlier words, shifting only a few. She stopped again, apparently waiting for an apology. "I won't apologize for going … only that Brandon somehow got caught up in all of this. I also won't apologize for not telling you about Jude and Jim." I added. "I'm not stupid Stef, despite what you said earlier. You can call me a lot of names, but I am not stupid. I had a good reason for not telling you. I had a good reason for going on my own. I had a good reason for fearing the worst about you."

"What possible reason could you have for not telling us about this situation?" she asked, incredulous. "You wouldn't have believed me," I said with certainty.

"Callie, that is not fair," Stef whined. "You don't know that I wouldn't have believed you. If you told me that you thought Jude was in danger, of course, I would have believed you – it is literally my job to investigate stuff like that. You don't get to say I wouldn't have believed you because I took an oath that would prove otherwise." she retorted.

"Yes, I DO. I do get to say that. You want to know why I get to say that?" I shouted. "I told the cops _exactly_ what happened last time - cops who I assume, based on the uniform they wore, took the same oath you took. I told them how Jim caught Jude wearing one of his ex-wife's dresses. How he screamed at him, chased him around the house and then started beating the shit out of him." Lena's jaw dropped and I ignored her.

"I told them how he used to hit me all the time and I never did anything; I just took it … but it was Jude this time." I stood up and paced, rubbing my sternum. "I told them how Jude was so small for his age and how I promised him I would protect him. I told the truth … I painted a picture of how when I saw Jim hitting Jude, I tried to get him to stop and he kicked me in the stomach until I could barely move. I wrote a whole police statement about how the only way I could think to get him to stop hitting Jude was to destroy his precious Trans Am."

"And do you know what they did?" I asked, gulping air. "They asked Jim what _really_ happened, ripped up my statement in front of me, tore Jude from my arms and drove me to Chula Vista where guards laughed while I was strip-searched. Where was your oath then? Where was "serve and protect" then?"

"The house before that, I told Bill about my twenty-year-old foster brother sneaking into my room at night and ... and the things he did to me. You know what Bill did? He moved us to a new home and put a negative note in MY file. I was ten years old and anyone who read my file thought I was some sort of sexual deviant. I told my teacher about how the Wallace's beat me with a phone book so they wouldn't leave marks and she wrote a note home about my overactive imagination. They left their response all over my body."

I tried to catch my breath and to stop talking, but as I thought about Stef calling me stupid, about how they were going to throw us away, I snapped. "Do you honestly think I would have gone over there alone if I felt I had a choice? You think I would have let him kick me and slap me and drag me around by my hair if I had a choice? You truly believe that I would have stood in front of a gun waiting for it to go off if I didn't have to? I thought I was going to have to fight Jim and his gun with a piece of glass from a cup!" I shouted, "And you think I did this on purpose?" I fought back tears.

"I didn't choose to go there alone; I had no choice. I AM ALONE." "It's ME," I said, pointing at my chest "and HIM."

"And for the record, I tried to send your son home … twice" I cried, "but he wouldn't go. He refused to stay on the curb I sat him on. He refused to stay away from the back door I would never ever let your _real kids_ get hurt because of me … I would have done everything to protect him, except let my little brother stay in an abusive home until Jim finally killed him."

"Callie..." Stef started. "No. I'm not done." I interrupted. "You are mad at me for not telling you about the most important thing in my life when I barely knew you. I had no idea if I could trust you. Would you tell someone you didn't know if you could trust where your kids lived?" Stef didn't answer.

"And though I didn't know it yesterday, I was right not to trust you. You lied to my face yesterday. 'You're not worthless … you're not disposable'" I mimicked, scoffing; isn't that what you said? Everything you have said to me today has made it clear that you think that Brandon's life is more valuable than my brother's and mine and that makes me feel _disposable_ " I said bitterly, mocking Stef's words. "You make me feel _worthless_ when you blame me for someone else's actions. You make me feel like I don't deserve happiness when you expect me to apologize for choosing Jude. You make me feel like there is " _not enough_ " for me when you yell at me for _almost_ getting Brandon hurt when I _actually_ got hurt; when Jude _actually_ got hurt. Brandon has three adult parents looking out for him and Jude just has me..."

"I had to save him and I'm not going to apologize for what I did anymore. I'm sorry that my trip came at the expense of your son's innocence or whatever. Like you, I'm glad that I got hurt instead of him."

I turned to Jude. "Jude, get your bag and make sure you find your bunny and pack him too. I'm sure Bill is already on his way."


	7. Calculated Risk

_**Lena:**_

"Jude," I say, in a pacifying voice, "don't move, honey. You don't need to pack anything. Neither you" I shift my eyes to Callie, pleading with her to hear me "nor your sister are leaving this house. Bill is not on his way here to take either of you away" I promise. The calm I tried to inject into my voice falls on deaf ears as Jude's eyes continue to evidence his panic and Callie stares at the floor while she struggles to breathe through her sobbing. Everything in me wants to wrap Callie up in my arms until this day goes away. Instead, I grab Stef's hand, steeling myself against my rising anxiety, and urge her to sit down beside me. I run my hand over her leg in a soothing gesture before speaking again, my voice just above a whisper, "I think we all just need to some time to calm down. So, let's each take a couple of deep breaths and have a seat" I suggest, inhaling and exhaling deeply in instruction. Callie, who is still crying, does not sit; neither does Jude.

I try a different approach, sliding onto the floor to try to catch Callie's eye, "Callie." I wait for her to lift her head; when she doesn't, I continue anyway. _"_ Sweets, it sounds like you think that Stef was trying to blame you for what happened last night. That was not her intent at all; right hon?" I squeeze Stef's hand to get her attention and she, tearful and obviously struggling, nods her agreement. "Honey...we were concerned that you felt like you had to go and face Jim by yourself." Because she won't look at me, I let my voice crack, hoping she can hear my fear instead of anger. "We know that must have been so scary for you and, because of how scary it sounded to us, we were confused as to _why_ you decided to go. We didn't know anything about Jim or Jude; all we knew was that you and Brandon didn't come home from school. That terrified us, Callie."

"Our goal this morning was to confirm that this was a one-time thing. That you wouldn't do anything this reckless again." I exhale heavily when Callie frowns in response. "I think we maybe should have started this conversation by simply asking why you did what you did last night, Callie. I'm so sorry that you felt like we were accusing you of something instead." I reached for her hand and when she doesn't move to reciprocate, I let my hand drop with a sigh.

"You said a lot this morning and I really think we need to unpack some of those things. There is a lot that we don't know about you ... and a great deal you don't know about us. We want you to tell us more about what is on your mind ... what concerns you have about living here with us. In turn, you need to let us respond to some of the things you said this morning." I pause to wait for a nod that doesn't come. "That said, I think we all need to take an hour or two to go to our respective corners, catch our breaths, and then we can try to continue this conversation at a more reasonable volume. Okay?" When only Stef nods, I forced a smile.

"Okay. I'll arrange for the other kids to stay with Mike so we can talk this afternoon." I say as I get up from the floor to grab my phone, quickly tapping out a " _Can you keep the kids until tomorrow?"_ message to Mike. In the interest of avoiding a second meltdown, I summarize the things we need to chat about; with a pointed look to Stef. "Okay, so let's all break for personal time-outs and then like I said earlier, we want to hear as much as you two are willing to tell us about your past homes or anything else. Then Stef and I want to discuss some of the things Callie said this morning. We will also want to talk about the consequences of running off from school. We don't enjoy having to punish any of our kids but we don't want it to come as a surprise later today; so, Callie, please be prepared for that discussion as well."

Callie, who still hadn't moved, snapped to attention at my last sentence. "No," she said. "No!?" I repeated, my eyebrow raising in surprise. "No." she confirmed, her eyes hardening. "I want to know my punishment now. I want to know what you are going to do. And I won't let you hit Jude ... or not feed him; he didn't do anything wrong. It was me," she said, her arm settling protectively over her brother, who had turned to bury his face into her side.

 _She thinks we are going to hit Jude or starve him?_ "Honey -" Callie cuts me off before I can complete my sentence.

 _ **Callie:**_

Had I been able to catch my breath, I would have objected when Lena told Jude not to move. As it was, I had to focus on tamping down the panic that had been rising since I left Anchor Beach yesterday. _Get ahold of yourself,_ I berated myself, steadying my breathing until I was counting to four in between each inhale and exhale. While counting and blinking the tears out of my eyes, frustrated at my inability to stop crying, I ignored Lena's comments. Save for the eye roll I had let slip when she claimed that Jude and I would be with her for the "foreseeable future", I showed no reaction at all. _Why was she still bothering to lie?_

I eyed Stef occasionally from under my eyelashes. She had gone from red-faced yelling to quietly sitting next to Lena, a sad look on her face. I couldn't decide which made me more nervous - sad Stef or mad Stef. I peeked at Jude who was hiding his face in my side and wiping his snot on my t-shirt. I fought against stamping my foot in frustration at my world; I would give so much to never see him cry again. The thought escalating my crying and I restarted my breathing count.

Inhale - 1. 2. 3. 4. Exhale.

Inhale - 1. 2. 3. 4. Exhale.

Inhale - 1. 2. 3.

I suspended my count at Lena's last sentence and examined her eyes. _Consequences? Punishment?_ I frowned at her coded language; I wasn't stupid - unless you asked Stef, I added bitterly. I knew what consequences and punishment meant and I was furious at myself for believing this house would be any different. Why had I told Jude he would be safe here? He would be upset with me when they hit me; he didn't yet understand that my apparent antagonism was a ruse, intended to draw our foster parents' fury toward me before it could ever land on him.

I restarted my count and without breaking eye contact with Lena, I reiterated my refusal to wait. I wanted to know what they planned to do and any and demanded that all punishments would be mine and mine alone. I spoke with finality when I added "You. Will. Not. Touch. My. Brother."

"Honey..." Lena had started, her voice sickeningly sweet. "Stop calling me honey," I demanded, grabbing Jude's sleeve and tugging on it until he was fully behind me. Though I tried to hold onto it, the malice dropped out of my voice and my next statement came out a whisper, "Please don't hit him. Please don't make me fight you." Lena continued to stare at me with a helpless look on her face before turning to Stef to ask for help. _Oh, she was good._

When Stef grabbed her hand and murmured something, I whispered to Jude out of the corner of my mouth, _"_ When I tell you to, run as fast as you can to the bathroom and lock the door if I'm not right behind you. Okay? Then take the chair in there and push it underneath the doorknob and don't let anyone in but me. Do you understand?" He nodded his understanding into my back. I shifted us closer to the door, holding Jude in place with my good hand, as Stef looked up and noticed our movement.

"Callie …" Stef started hesitantly, "No one is going to hurt you or Jude here. I know what you are thinking and that's not what we meant." _The hell they didn't._ Stef stood and slowly walked toward Jude and me, angling her body so that I'd have to run past her to get to the front door. She extended her hand like I'd seen cops do on television when they were trying to calm someone down. I ignored her gesture; I didn't need to be calm; I needed to get to a safe space.

"Why don't you and Jude sit down and we can clarify what Lena meant..." she requested. I shook my head no and continued backing up toward the front door and saw that Lena had also gotten up and was walking toward us. _She was too close._ I startled and pinched Jude to get his attention. "Go!" I whispered. He was a blue blur as he sprinted through the kitchen to the bathroom and I followed him; tossing my head over my shoulder to monitor Stef and Lena.

* * *

When we got to the bathroom, I slammed the door shut and threw the lock, thankful that I'd had the good sense to look around yesterday before dinner. It was a habit I'd learned early in foster care - study your surroundings.

I pushed Jude out of the way of the door and shoved the chair under the doorknob and kicked it into place. I quickly closed and locked the open bathroom window and searched for something to reinforce the lock. I smiled victoriously when I found a mini tool kit in the closet, which I used to begin the familiar process of hammering a window closed. _At least Jim had taught me something; it's all about the angles._ Just as I finished putting in the second nail, I looked up and saw Stef laughing – _and crying?_ \- as she pointed to the window. I frowned my confusion and I pulled the curtain hanging over the window shut.

"Now what do we do Callie?" Jude asked. "I don't know" I muttered just before bursting into tears. "I don't know."

 _ **Stef:**_

Lena had done most of the heavy lifting in the reparative conversation and I wallowed in my shame until she got up, presumably to text Mike. I chanced a look at Callie and Jude, who were standing so close, they were practically occupying the same space and experienced a resurgence of guilt.

Lena returned and continued the conversation as I watched Callie. Her eyes widened when Lena mentioned the word "punished" and it became evident that she was terrified. I reached out to shush Lena just as she turned to me to ask for help.

"You need to stop talking." I pleaded as I spoke in a calm voice to Callie who was inching closer to the front door. "Hey ... hey now, let me explain" I cautioned as I walked slowly toward her trying to cut off her access to the front door, anxious to avoid having the two siblings sprint outside in fear. I quickened my step as I noticed that Callie was close to tripping over the single step leading to the front door and she winced. I stopped quickly. But it was too late - Jude, followed closely by his sister, took off through the kitchen toward the bathroom.

* * *

"You scared her" I hissed at Lena as we sprinted after them. "I scared her?" Lena objected as we rounded the kitchen table, "you were screaming at her twenty minutes ago." I both heard and saw the bathroom door slam shut. "Callie" I called out, knocking on the door, "we're not going to hurt you but we are coming in." At her lack of response, I turned the doorknob, slamming my hand on the door when I find it locked. Lena glowers at me when Jude cries out in fear and then I hear a scraping sound.

"What are they doing?" Lena asks as the scraping continues. I peek under the door and realize that the Jacob siblings have doubled down on their efforts and moved the timeout chair in front of the door. "Putting a chair under the locked door that we don't have a key to so we can't get in." I explain to Lena, who surprises me with a well-placed, "Fuck!"

I hear Callie muttering about something and I put my ear against the door to try to make out what she is saying. _Window._ At her muttering, I recall the open bathroom window; opened to air out the _eau de ew that_ someone had left behind that morning. I race outside, Lena on my heels, and focus on a good way to climb into the window without traumatizing the kids. I needn't have worried because, as I approach the window I point to Callie, who is using a mini hammer to nail the window shut. For some reason the sight makes me laugh and cry concurrently. She looks both pleased with herself and terrified as she shoves Jude behind her and pulls the curtains closed. Lena swears again. I repeat after her.

We head inside without a plan and I am aghast at the sobs I hear coming from the bathroom. _Callie,_ I realize. I call out to her, trying to calm her down. I plead with her to breathe deeply, to drink some water, to put her heads between her legs - but with no result. Her heartbreaking sobs continue and I find myself crying as well. _Shit._

* * *

It had been thirty minutes and we were still sitting on the floor outside the bathroom. I am startled when Lena gently shoves me off of her lap and heads into the kitchen without saying anything. I start to go after her when she returns with granola bars and string cheese. I put my hand out for one, suddenly hungry, before she smacks it away, scowling.

"It's for the kids!" she explained, sliding them under the door. I hear rustling before Callie snaps, "don't eat that baby, it could have something on it. Remember the Carters." I find myself manufacturing new and creative forms of profanity as I add the Carters to my mental list of homes to discuss with Bill, whose judgment I now seriously questioned. I count them - _Jim. Wallaces'. Creepy twenty-year-old. Carters'._ How had Bill managed to skillfully assist us with the adoption of two of our beautiful children while so seriously botching the placements of our newest additions?

"It's not poisoned," I said out loud, irritated when the food was shoved back towards us. "Come on Callie, if you aren't going to let us in, you have to eat … and let Jude eat; he didn't have breakfast," I said, exasperated, shoving the food back into the bathroom. "I know how little you think of me Stef but I would never starve him" she retorted as the cheese and granola bars come flying back out. Seconds later, I hear rustling behind the door and am surprised to hear a soda can open along with the rustling of a wrapper. I get to my knees and lean forward to peer into the living room and laugh bitterly when I see that Callie's bag is gone; she must have grabbed it on her way into the bathroom. "Smart move, Callie girl!" I muttered.

* * *

Callie had been reading Harry Potter to Jude for the past twenty minutes and I had been trying to get comfortable on the hard floor while also berating myself. The only way to get the two kids out of the bathroom would be to either break down the door or break the window, each of which would terrify and possibly injure them. Lena and I vote against both and I find myself listening to Callie read - I'm pleasantly surprised to find that she has stopped crying and that she does the voices. Still, I realize, we have to get her out of there. I wait for a pause in her reading and jump in.

"Since you won't come out or let us in there Callie, I guess I'll have to talk to you through the door. In a way, this is actually great because I can talk to you and you can't exactly run away. Also, I'm pretty sure you aren't talking to us again, so you probably won't interrupt." I scowled as Lena poked me with a bony finger. "Lena just poked me" I report, "so I guess I probably shouldn't have said that out loud." I hear someone giggle, Jude, I assume. "First, and I hope you hear me, we would never ever ever hit you or Jude. We don't hit our children in this house under any circumstances. That is not what Lena meant by consequences."

Lena interrupted, "Honey, I was saving this discussion for later today, but your consequence was that you would need to carry a phone with a tracking program on it going forward until we felt that you trusted us enough not to run off. We both agreed that we wouldn't punish Brandon and felt it wouldn't be fair of us to punish you."

I started again, "You know, in my mind, today was going to go a lot better than it did. I had imagined our conversation would involve a lot less shouting and, to be honest, I was pretty sure you weren't going to talk at all based on our one-sided conversation this morning. I um ... I started the shouting this morning and I should probably … definitely, apologize." I looked down at my hands, trying to remember everything I had said that morning.

"I promised you this morning that you didn't have to talk but then, at some point, I felt that I deserve some answers. It was selfish for me to demand answers from you; you don't know me well enough to answer some of the questions I have … you probably don't even know how to answer some of them." I peeled open one of the cheeses and went on. I think there was also a part of me this morning that was angry that you still see yourself as not mattering. I think I got angry _for you_ because I hardly know you and you already matter to me. I worry that you might you never get angry for yourself; only for Jude. I never did get the words "you matter" out though, but that was what I was trying to communicate. Instead, I said a bunch of other stuff ..."

"I'm embarrassed that I snapped and shouted at you when you didn't respond; that wasn't very fair was it?" I paused, not surprised when she didn't respond. "I think … I think I sort of lost it when I realized that you literally went up against a grown man by yourself; I get so terrified when I think about how differently that could have ended." I took a calming breath. "I know now just _how_ worried you were about Jude and the promises you made to him ... and the promise it sounds like you made to your mom. I've made a lot promises like those and I guess I would fight anything to keep them. Like you said though, I have people who will fight with me." I grabbed Lena's hand and massaged it. "I'm so sorry that you had to keep that promise alone. I'm so sorry that you knew how dangerous the situation would be and you still had to walk into with no one standing behind you. I hope you never have to be that brave again."

I paused to collect myself and laughed as I heard Jude whine, "Callie, I'm still hungry. I want some cheese!" I could hear Callie whispering to him and he griped "Nuh-uh, I can hear one of them eating it; she wouldn't eat it if it was poisoned." I slid two packets of cheese under the crack of the door as I wiped my eyes and smiled as I heard the crinkling of wrappers. "I'll have a bit first and then after five minutes, you can eat it" I overhear. Callie has obviously moved closer to the door because I can hear her instructions to Jude clearly.

"I..." my voice cracked, "Callie, I am so ashamed of some of the things I said to you this morning. I am so mad at myself for implying in any way that Brandon's life is somehow more important than yours or Jude's. I was so scared when Brandon called me and I could hear screaming in the background and I couldn't see what was going on. When I got there, Brandon was screaming about a gun. And, this morning, I was still upset that Brandon was in that situation. But, as you pointed out, he followed you to the house and he tried to follow you inside, despite you telling him not to." I start rambling "I wasn't intending to blame you for him being there but I know that is what is sounded like; I'm sorry for that too." Lena scooted closer to me and leaned her head on my shoulder and rubbed a comforting hand on my leg and we sat in silence for a few minutes before I continued.

"... I was also scared for you. I think you see yourself as a giant ... as a protector but I was so scared when Brandon was shouting about a gun and I finally looked up and saw that bastard pointing a gun at you. You looked so small and then you were gone and we couldn't find you. You looked even smaller when we found you and Jude in the cupboard. I did a very bad job of communicating that my fear was for you, it was not anger at you. I was afraid for you because I care about you. I'm going to repeat this because it's important for you to hear. even though we've known each out a couple of days, I care about you." I was openly crying, so humiliated by the way I'd made Callie feel.

After ten minutes, I continued my apology tour. "I didn't lie to you last night by the way. You are not worthless and you are not disposable. I feel so awful that my words this morning made you doubt that but I meant what I said. You matter just as much as Jude, Brandon, Jesus, and Marianna do ... you matter. I know you think I'm glad that you got hurt instead of Brandon but the truth is, and please believe me, if I could take every bad thing that has happened to you and put it on my back, I would carry it for you. I would stand in your place and take every hit, Callie." I picked apart the cheese wrapper and leaned into Lena's hand which was wiping at my tears. "You know how you said you would take Jude's punishment, I would take every single punishment you have ever had if it meant you could be safe." I let that sink in before remembering the harshest of her words.

"And you are not stupid" I added fiercely. "In telling you how much I disagreed with your decision, I called it stupid, but I never meant to call you stupid. You are very intelligent; your ability to get you and Jude to a safe place is evidence of how smart you are. When you asked me if I thought you wanted to go in that house ... that's when I realized I'd fucked up." I ignored Lena's scowl. "I know you would not have walked into that situation if you had any choice but Jim had your brother … it wasn't really a choice for you to go at all, was it? You had to go. Just like I would have gone after you." I say, reliving my shame. I hear sniffling behind the door and my heart breaks.

"It makes me so angry and sad that you had to face that alone and that no one stood behind you before. It makes me furious that my coworkers didn't believe you before and that you went to juvie for something that Jim did. I'm sorry those horrible things happened to you and no one believed you or helped you and Jude. But I can promise you that those things will not happen here; they will not happen in this house. Callie, you will never have to fight here."

"The reality here though, Callie, is that you are Jude are going to be staying with us for a while – and even though I understand why you don't trust us or anyone really – I need you to take a chance, just a tiny one, on us. I need you to hear my apology and try as hard as you can to believe it. I know it's not fair for me to ask when so many people have mistreated you, but if we are going to make this work, we have to take a chance on each other." I pause for a bit. "Do you know what they call it when you take a chance and you are _almost_ sure what is going to happen? A 'calculated risk'. You and Jude can stay in there Callie, for as long as you need until you feel safe and I promise I won't come in there but I need you to take a calculated risk and do two things, okay?" I wait for a response and after five minutes, I hear a soft "Okay."

"I need you to open the curtains in the window so we can make sure you are okay and …" I pause, knowing she won't like it, "...I need you to move the chair from in front of the door. The door will still be locked and Lena and I will still be mad that we don't have a key to unlock it." I rush to add "And because I don't want you think I lied to you, I'm going to need for you to unlock the door at some point much later today so we can give you some real food. When she doesn't say anything, I ask her again. "Come on Callie, take a calculated risk baby; take a chance on me ... please?" I hear a soft "Yeah. Okay." I breathe out a "thank you" before I rush off to the living room, where my exhaustion and emotion take over and I start to sob. Lena follows me and pulls me toward her, murmuring comfort into my ear and hugging me tightly to. I push her away after a while, feeling undeserving of her comfort. "Go check on the kids" I insist.

 _ **Lena:**_

Stef had talked for nearly an hour before she'd asked Callie to trust her. Aside from the conversations about her dad, I hadn't ever heard her so emotional. In the silent moments that followed her plea for trust, I'd been tempted to repeat Stef's request – just to make sure Callie had heard – but Stef had raised her finger to lips indicating that she preferred to wait. I was confused when she sprinted to the living room when Callie agreed to her minor requests and was heartbroken to find her sobbing. Her fear had indeed morphed into anger this morning and I could see she was struggling with the consequences of her words.

I went to her side and nearly pulled her on top of me as I tried to comfort her. She indulged me for a moment before pushing me away and telling me to check on the kids. Callie was her brunette twin, I decided; suffering in silence while protecting another. I had been trying for years to break Stef of the habit and now we had another.

I sighed as I did as she asked and walked around the side of the house, crouching down to peek into my bathroom window. I laughed as Jude waved at me but my smile dropped a bit as I saw Callie watching me warily, her forehead sweaty. I started to head inside to Stef when I noticed a bit of blood on the floor and realized that Callie's hand was wrapped in a towel. As I hurried in, I swore for the third time that day.

I stopped in front of Stef and sighed "so you know how we told Callie we could leave her in there as long as she needed?" "Yeah..." Stef replied suspiciously. I summarized what I'd seen through the window and resisted the temptation to pull Stef back into my arms as her faced clouded over.

"This day is shit." She said, getting to her feet. "Also, our new kids are never going to trust me."


	8. Welcome

Thank you all for continuing to read this loquacious piece. I'll be taking a tiny break during the holiday but I still have one chapter pre-written.

 _ **Stef:**_

Lena left to check on the kids as I racked my brain trying to remember if it had been this hard with the twins; there had been some trust issues, sure ... but I couldn't recall sobbing on the couch or losing it with them. Maybe it had been different because they were so young when we got them - like Callie, the twins had both been scared of us but their fear had been easier to sooth.

Their walls had been built with the emotional equivalent of wooden blocks, while the elder Jacob had built hers with Legos ... the interlocking feature making them harder to break through. Safer for her and Jude ... harder for us. I took a few calming breaths as I tried to figure out a way for us to move forward. _Getting them out of the bathroom would be a good start,_ I snarked to myself, before redirecting my thoughts. It was late now and they still hadn't really eaten; aside from whatever Callie had fed Jude in the bathroom. I'd give them an hour before making lunch and broaching the topic of them unlocking the door.

Lena announced her return with a heavy sigh. "Honey, please tell me you are doing a deep breathing exercise and not sighing because something is wrong" I pleaded, already knowing the answer. "Soooooo, you know how we told the kids we would leave them in there as long as they needed?" I lifted my head, "Yeah…". She paused before rushing to say, "Callie's acting like … I mean she looks like she's in some pain… and her hand is bleeding. At least it was bleeding at some point. She's got it wrapped in a towel now. And just as a heads up, she still has that 'don't get close too close' look."

"This day is shit," I replied while shoving myself off the couch. "And our new kids are never going to trust me."

* * *

I had called my mother on a whim; needing a break from parenting and also needing to hear her voice. She was suspicious immediately and had shouted into the phone, "Stefanie, you tell me right now what is going on. You never call me just to say 'hello.'" I summarized the last two days and, after vocalizing her annoyance that we hadn't told her about our new additions, she listened faithfully. When I got to the part about the kids still being in the bathroom, she asked why I couldn't just video chat the kids if I was so concerned about how they were doing; "it's not like you can't see blood or vomit on a screen, Stef" she had pointed out. She was an absolute genius, I thought after I hung up the phone and slid back into my uncomfortable position on the floor outside of the bathroom. A frenetic, nosy, overbearing, borderline insane genius, but a genius all the same.

"Callie?" I queried, as I folded my legs so I was sitting cross-legged. "Thank you for opening the curtain in the bathroom and for moving the chair. Is there anything Lena and I can do that would make you more comfortable?" "No, thank you." I heard Callie reply.

I cleared my throat. "Lena tells me that when she came to check on you through the window, she thought she saw some blood on the floor and that you had wrapped your hand in a towel. Is that right?" "I cleaned the floor" Callie replied, her voice rising, "... and I'll wash the towel." I frowned. "Honey, I'm not concerned about the floor or the towel ... I'm concerned about your hand. Is it bleeding?" I could hear whispering from the bathroom. "Callie?" I repeated, "is your hand bleeding?" "It's not bleeding on the floor no more; it's in the towel…" Callie quickly interrupted to correct, "it's not bleeding 'anymore' Jude." She hesitated, "And I um … hit it on the table when we ran in here but I wrapped it up in a towel. It's fine now."

"I'd really like to see that for myself, Callie. I'm a little worried that you might have torn a stitch." I could hear the chair scraping and I chewed on my lip before rushing into my next thought. "Hold on hon … hear me out first before you put that chair back. If I finish what I'm saying and you are still nervous you can move the chair back." I offered, pleased when scraping sound stopped.

"I know I told you could stay in there for as long as you needed and I'm not going to break my promise. But I also need to be sure you are safe, so here's what I need you to do…" I nudged my cell phone under the door. "I'm going to video chat you and I need you to answer it for me." I started facetime on Lena's phone without waiting for a response from Callie and after four rings, my phone indicated a connection. I swallowed my nausea as the room spun due to one of the kids' shaky hand and jumped in surprise when a giant head popped in front of the screen. "Scoot back, Jude! No one can see around your huge head." Callie insisted. After more shaky filming and some muttered instructions, the picture cleared and I could tell that Jude was seated on Callie's lap on the floor while one of them held the phone out shakily.

"Hey there Callie and Jude!" I said excitedly, pleased with our compromise. "Hi!" yelled Jude as Callie jerked away from him, her eyes rolling. "Hi, Jude!" I greeted him again as Lena sat down and leaned into me, throwing her legs over mine. "Hold on Cal and Jude," I said, holding up an index finger. Mimicking Callie, I stretched out my legs and pulled Lena fully onto my lap, tugging her into my body until we were both clearly visible on the screen. "So, first and foremost, Callie can you move the phone so we can see your hand?" After some fumbling, I could make out Callie's hand and exhaled my relief – her stitches looked mostly intact and the hand didn't look swollen. "How are you feeling Callie? Do you feel dizzy or hot? Do you feel like you are going to throw up? Do you have any pain anywhere?" I asked, trying to confirm she didn't have an infection. She looked down guiltily and didn't answer. "Honey, it's okay if you don't feel your best; you can tell us."

"My head hurts … and my stomach. I don't feel good," she whispered like she was scared to admit it. "I'm so sorry you are in pain Callie. Does your stomach hurt like you feel like you might throw up or does it hurt like your head hurts?" "It hurts like my head hurts and … I already took the Tylenol I had in my bag." I leaned forward into Lena, concerned, "How much Tylenol did you have in your bag Cal?" She looked around and picked up a white packet, inspecting it carefully as I contemplated how long it would take to knock the door down and get her to a hospital. "Four." She said. I exhaled, pleased. "Did you take them all at once?" I asked, calmer. "No," she said, scowling at the phone, "it says to take them every three hours right here. I took two this morning after we had coffee and then I took the other two before we started … talking …" she trailed off. My face flamed red as I remembered how our "talk" had devolved.

Lena jabbed me in the ribs, "You gave her coffee?" she hissed as Callie covered her mouth, her eyes big. "Tattletale!" I declared, pointing into the phone at Callie, winking at her so she would know I wasn't mad. I rested my hand on Lena's side and murmured for her to please get some ibuprofen for Callie. "Should I get her some coffee too?" she quipped sarcastically as she rose and stuck her tongue out at me. I rolled my eyes at her back and made a face at Jude. "Jude, how are you feeling?" "I'm bored." he said just as Lena returned. "Oh? And how is your head feeling? Does anything hurt?" I followed up. "Nope," he said, scooting closer to the phone. As Lena settled back onto my lap, pinching my leg antagonistically, I slid the pills under the door on the paper plate she had brought and told Callie to take them. She shooed Jude off her lap and I heard her run the tap.

 _ **Jude:**_

Callie had hung up the video call with Stef and Lena before I could ask if one them could bring us some games or something; though I supposed hardly anything could fit under the stupid bathroom door. I liked them, I decided, even if Callie didn't. I DID NOT, however, like being locked in rooms and Stef's phone had run out of battery on level six of Angry Birds. I sighed and looked out of the window for a bit before finally turning to Callie.

"I'm bored. Can't we go out already?" "Here," Callie said, handing me the Harry Potter book she'd been reading earlier, "read this and stop whining, my head still hurts." I felt bad that her head hurt but I was tired of sitting in the bathroom. I wanted to play the video game I'd seen last night. "I don't want to read this book. I already read it." I whined, "I want to do something fun; can't we go outside?"

"Jude, please stop whining and find a different book in your bag or something. I need some more time to think. And no, we can't go outside." Callie replied before telling me to put some towels in the tub and lay down. "What do you need to think about? Stef already apologized and … they seem nice Callie." I said insistently. "Can't you just trust her like she asked? Please?". "They always seem nice, Juju, for a while. Remember the Wallace's?" I shudder. "I'm trying to figure out if they," she said, pointing toward the door, "actually are. I'm sorry you are stuck in here with me bud, but can't you give me a few minutes?"

"Fine" I sulked as I did as she asked. I felt bad when her face fell and she looked like she might cry again and quickly apologized, "I'm sorry Callie ... I'll be quiet. We can stay in here for a while." I hated switching homes and I hated the _figuring out_ process but I hated seeing Callie cry more than anything.

 _ **Stef:**_

I could hear Jude whining behind the door and I didn't envy Callie for having to keep the young boy entertained; I'd have to ask her how old he was … or at least read the file once Bill finally found it. When he kept whining, I slapped a hand over Lena's mouth as she started to laugh at his petulance and whispered: "aw, he sounds just like you". She licked my hand and I whipped it away and looked at her in disgust when she turned around, smirking. "Seriously, Stef … we share a bed. How does that still gross you out." At my grousing, she ran a soothing hand over the arm I had wrapped around her. We cuddled outside the door before my stomach growled loudly and she turned around in my arms with a serious look. "What?" I asked. "I want some pizza … with pepperoni and olives," she declared loudly, with childlike glee on her face "anyone else?"

I could hear Jude whining about not wanting olives on his pizza before Callie shushed him, promising that she would pick them off for him. When he continued complaining, I felt for her and interrupted loudly, "we are getting two pizzas; Callie and Jude, what do you want on yours?"

"What do you want on the pizza Jude?" I heard her ask, her voice weary. "Pepperoni. JUST pepperoni" he answered, sounding pleased to get his way. "You catch that Stef?" Callie muttered. "Yep," I said, grabbing Lena's phone to order. I paused midway through the order; it hadn't escaped my attention that I had no idea what Callie wanted on a pizza. After we got them out of the bathroom, I'd have to figure out a way to get her to think about herself sometime. I snorted – first the conversation on not cleaning and now a primer on how to be selfish – I'd have to start keeping a list on conversations I never thought I'd have to have with a pre-teen. Lena tickled me when I hesitated to hit order on the mobile app, before snatching the phone from my hand to finish the task herself.

"It will be here she shortly," she said.

* * *

"So, Callie …" I started twenty minutes later, surprised when I heard the door unlock.

"… you can save the speech Stef" she interrupted, "Jude will kill me if he doesn't get his pizza and by his estimation" she said, her tone rising in a mocking manner, "'all of the pepperonis will get ripped off if you try to slide it under the door.'" My guffaw was interrupted as the door swung open, causing Lena and I to fall backward onto the bathroom mat and looked into the laughing face of Jude Jacob. "He also doesn't want to sit in the bathroom anymore" Callie added from her spot in the bathtub.

 _ **Callie:**_

I hadn't expected Jude to open the door after I told him to unlock it but after what felt like hours in the bathroom with him, I wasn't shocked either. After Stef's soliloquy, I was fairly certain that we were safe with the two women, even if Stef's temper rivaled my own. I hadn't opened the door myself because I hadn't figured out how to act around foster parents who wanted me there. _No time like the present to learn,_ I thought as they fell into the bathroom.

"FREEDOM" Jude shouted out melodramatically as he continued to peer down at Stef and Lena, laughing heartily. My breath caught at how carefree he looked before I called out, "Are you two okay? Did you hit your head?" Jude, move back and stop breathing on them! Give them some room so they can get up please." He continued chuckling as he scooted an inch or two back and I sighed heavily and prepared to get up from my spot to help when Lena waved me off. She rolled off of Stef, poking her in the stomach on her way, and jumped up as the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," Stef said, smacking Lena on the backside, as she jogged to the front door. Jude, after silently seeking my permission, chased after the two of them and I laid back in the tub to rest my eyes– I was so tired.

* * *

"Should I wake her up?" I could hear Stef asking. _When had I fallen asleep?_ "Sorry! I'm up …where's Jude?" I asked, panicked until I spotted him as he walked over holding a piece of pizza out to me. My stomach turned at the food and I hopped out of the tub quickly and ushered him back to the table, "Jude, we don't walk around with food … you could have spilled something." He pouted but sat down at the table obediently.

 _ **Stef:**_

Callie was sleeping in the bathtub by the time we had paid for the pizza and set out plates. I snapped a quick picture with my phone and texted it to my mom before motioning Lena over. "Should I wake her up?" At my question, Callie opened her eyes and startled as she asked about Jude, who came strolling in with a third piece of pizza in his hands. She frowned as she quickly got out of the tub and hurried him over to the table, careful to hold her hand under the pizza.

"Do you want some pizza, Callie?" I asked, holding a plate out to her. "No," she said quietly, "I'm not hungry." I tilted my head toward the living room to indicate that I wanted her to follow me and after a Jude check, she did. "Honey, you need to eat something; you only ate a bit of toast this morning and unless you ate in the bathroom with Jude you haven't eaten all day." She stared at me for a few second looking like she might say something before she nodded her agreement. "Is everything okay sweets?" She nodded again and walked back toward the kitchen. After staring at the pizza with something akin to disgust, she took a bite and chewed it carefully before taking another bite. She'd made it halfway through her slice when she set it down on the table, covered her mouth and took off running toward the bathroom; I was right behind her when she vomited.

"I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to. I'll finish eating it … I promise", she rushed to say before I held up a hand to stop her. "There's no reason to apologize … are you still feeling sick?" I asked her. Her answer was preceded by another apology - "I'm so sorry..." – and punctuated by the sound of retching. "Callie, stop apologizing for being sick honey," I pleaded with her as I searched the bathroom for the thermometer. I reached toward her forehead before I thought better of it.

"I need to get some supplies, Callie ... I'll be right back" I promised, "you gonna be okay?" "I've been in here all day Stef ... I'll be fine" she replied. I chuckled nervously as I ran off to find the missing thermometer and our families first aid kit. I shooed Lena, who was a sympathetic puker, and Jude into the living room with their pizza and indicated that Lena should start a movie.

* * *

I approached Callie slowly when I returned, "I'm going to rub this thermometer on your forehead hon; it's going to feel a little weird." She nodded miserably before asking how Jude was. "He's fine," I said, reading the thermometer. "No fever ... that's good. I'll warm up some broth you can drink and then we can all just chill in the living room for the night; okay?" She nodded again. I paused, wanting to be honest with her, "If you start feeling worse Callie, we might need to go back to the hospital, okay?" She nodded.

After situating her in the living room, I put the broth on the stove to heat and pulled up the photo I had taken of Callie sleeping in the tub. I was smiling at how peaceful she looked when Lena wrapped her arms around my waist and nuzzled my neck, confirming "it's a beautiful picture, honey."

 _ **Lena:**_

I was evidencing my gratitude at Stef's earlier vomit related heroics with a few harmless kisses when she kicked me out of the kitchen, citing my tendency to "distract her" and I wandered back to the living room with a cup full of broth in hand. I handed it over to Callie and she set it on the table in front of her before hurriedly reaching for a coaster to slide under the mug.

"Honey, you are meant to drink the broth." She picked it up obediently and sipped at it and I returned to my seat near Jude who was watching _The Incredibles_ while holding onto a worn version of Velveteen rabbit.

I bit back my laughter as he eased closer to me at uneven intervals until he was finally leaning against my arm. I faked a yawn and moved my arm to the back of the couch and, moments later, he tucked himself fully into my side before popping his thumb into his mouth. "Is that okay Lena?" Callie questioned. "I can have him move or I can take him … Juju, come here…" I held Jude to my side, stopping his movement, and reassured her "it's fine Callie. I like cuddling; most of the kids won't let me do this with them anymore." She smiled and ducked her head, returning to her broth.

 ** _Stef:_**

I watched Callie as she watched Lena with Jude. A flicker of melancholy crossed her face at their cuddling and I wondered when the last time someone held her was. I would guess her mother – though I had no idea why there were in care, so maybe not. I sat down next to Callie and she looked at me with surprise and gestured toward Lena and Jude, "I'm okay Stef. You can go and sit with Lena if you want to." I looked at her quizzically, "Am I making you uncomfortable by sitting here? Do you _want_ me to go and sit with Lena?" She shook her head no and added "No. You can stay here if you want to." I smirked victoriously at Lena before checking my buzzing phone. "Callie ... don't be mad but I took a picture of you sleeping in the tub... and sent it to my mom."

"Why?" she asked curiously. "You looked cute and my mom wanted a picture of her grandbaby." Callie blushed fiercely and leaned closer "Can I see?" I handed her the phone and she smiled softly at the picture. Jude, distracted by our laughter, hurried over "I want to see too!". He and Callie began laughing loudly and I peered over curiously. Lena crossed the room as well, asking "What? What's so funny?" I rolled my eyes when I saw that my mother had texted me a return picture of her lying on a comforter in her tub with the caption "great minds think alike". "You crazy genius," I replied.

"Let's send her a picture back," I said, pulling Lena down beside me and turning on the front-facing camera. Jude crawled onto Lena's lap and Callie leaned in close on my other side, "Say sassafras!" I instructed. Callie broke into a smile and I snapped a picture. Mindful of the restrictions on social media for foster parents, I typed out a text and added the picture. "A carefree Callie and Jude Jacob are welcomed into our home." After adding a couple of friends, my mother and Lena's parents, I pressed send.

I took one last peek at the picture and beamed as Lena whispered to me "You did that!" before kissing me on the cheek.


	9. Accused

**_Callie:_**

Lena, Stef, and Jude had fallen asleep on the couch during the latter part of the movie – Jude cuddled into Lena's back and Stef behind them both. I had tried sleeping as well but my stomach continued to strenuously object to the pizza I'd eaten. I glanced at Stef's cell phone to note the time and, after hesitating, snapped a picture of the three of them, which I forwarded along to Sharon. _"Here's a picture of your other new grandbaby!"_ I'd added. Heading into the other room, I put away the pizza, which continued to activate my gag reflex, washed the dishes and tidied up the rest of the kitchen.

I repacked Jude's duffel bag, collecting his toys from around the house, and stowed his bag next to mine in the front closet. I swept and scrubbed the bathroom floor, ensuring that I'd cleaned all the blood off the floor. I also tossed the bloodied towel I'd wrapped my hand in into the hamper, intending to start the wash.

"What are you doing?" Stef asked, causing me to jump in surprise. "Sorry," I said hesitantly, "I didn't mean to wake you up. I was cleaning." I rushed to fill the silence "Remember, I said I would clean the blood up?" She raised her eyebrow, "Aren't you tired?" When I shook my head no, she said: "Why don't you go back into the living room and rest for a while, please?" I reluctantly followed her and laid down on the empty couch as Stef slid behind Lena who mumbled her protest at being disturbed. Once I was sure she was sleeping, I retrieved the book I had put between the cushions and began to read.

* * *

I fell asleep at some point and woke to Jude's poor attempt at whispering to Lena, who he was still sprawled across. I started to tell him to get off of her when I saw how happy and safe he looked as he talked animatedly while Lena ran her fingers through his hair and smiled down at him. I ignored the twinge of jealousy I felt at how easily he'd found his way into her arms.

I got up – nodding an acknowledgment to Lena – and headed toward the backyard. I walked a path around the fenced area and worried my lip, trying hard to choose between my simultaneous desire to hide and be found. Hiding was easier, I decided, as I looked for somewhere to catch my breath. _Bingo._ Ignoring the inner voice discouraging me from doing so, I climbed onto a low hanging branch in the tree which dominated their backyard, taking care not to put too much pressure on my hand. When I spotted Stef through the window, I shoved my book into the back of my pants and climbed to an even higher branch.

 _ **Stef:**_

I heard the door open and close and looked curiously out the window to see Callie wandering in the backyard, obviously deep in thought. I watched her as she frowned and sat down the coffee cup I'd been sipping from when she began to climb the tree, favoring her hand, and walked briskly outside when I saw her scramble onto an even higher branch. I found her lying on a branch with a book balanced on her stomach and her arms behind her head. "Does that seem like the best idea; climbing up a tree with cracked ribs and stitches?" I asked her, shielding my eyes from the sun. She responded without looking down, "Not really, but it didn't seem like the worst one either. I suppose I could always go back to the bathroom." I laughed awkwardly and confessed, "I had keys made for the bathroom and took the nails out of the window." She sighed heavily, "Are you asking me to get down?"

"Not right now, I guess. How are you feeling? Better?" She hummed a positive response and, with the sun in my eyes, I couldn't see her face well enough to know if she was fibbing. "I think I might join you out here," I told her, "I'm going to run inside and let Lena know where we are. Please don't climb down by yourself."

* * *

After some time, Jude came out to let us know that dinner was ready and I saw Callie toss her book from the tree. Seconds later, she sat up and scooted forward like she intended to get down the same way the book had. _The child was trying to kill me._ "Hey!" I shouted, "I'm going to get a ladder so you don't put any pressure on your hand climbing down. And don't you dare jump out of that tree."

I found her on the ground when I returned and frowned in irritation. "Are you serious Callie?! I know you heard me what I said…" I complained, my frustration obvious. Callie backed away from me quickly, running into my partner's legs, before rushing to say, "I didn't disobey. Lena helped me…" After Lena nodded her confirmation, I shouted an apology to Callie who sped conspicuously ahead of me _._

 _ **Lena:**_

Stef and I watched as Callie pulled the couch out and made it up for her and Jude. I had offered to help, feeling somewhat useless, but she had declined my assistance. She had also looked at me skeptically when I asked if I could tuck them in before confessing "Jude would probably like it. I'm okay though". She nodded approvingly as I tucked the blankets tightly around Jude and wished them both good night. "Good night Lena" they responded dutifully.

* * *

"Callie's scared of me again," Stef said quietly as she undressed "she's back to staring at her feet. Awesome, right?"

"Honey, she's not scared of you, she's scared of living in a new home where she doesn't know the rules." "Lena, I told her the rules. I even offered to print them off for her." I rolled my eyes, "I'm not talking about the hard and fast rules Stef … I'm talking about the stuff you only learn about people when you live with them. She doesn't know when one of us is going to punish her or snap at her. Other than this morning, which did not go well, she has no background information on us. Can you imagine having to live with absolute strangers? She's just treading lightly."

"Besides, it wasn't you that she ran from this morning" I added. Stef pulled me toward her and said apologetically, "Hey … I shouldn't have blamed you for that; you know that wasn't your fault huh?" I snuggled into her and retorted, "and you know it wasn't yours?" She sighed. "This morning was a horrible, terrible, perfect storm. Between her skittishness and my temper…" she groused, "…I'm just happy they aren't still in the damn bathroom."

"You need to watch your mouth babe". Stef waved off my comment about her language but confessed, "I do think that I'm going to have to sort of work on my temper and my facial expressions. I can't keep scaring her."

"Who you?! A temper? Resting bitch face?" I quipped, my profanity earning a raised eyebrow, "never." She laughed before turning back to me and saying, "It's still kind of early … want to take a bath?" I smirked, "With you? Always."

* * *

 _Adams-Foster Residence_

 _The Next Day_

 _ **Lena**_

"Honey, where are the car keys?" I asked Stef, shaking her awake. "Go away," she mumbled into her pillow just as I spotted the keys on the dresser. Seeing that I still had a couple of minutes before I needed to leave, I dropped my blazer and crawled into bed beside her. "I'm exhausted too you know" I whispered to her, "and it's your fault, Stefanie Marie." She cracked open one eye and kissed me before confirming, "I regret nothing." I gave her a lingering kiss and said, "you need to check on the kids pretty soon hon, so don't go back to sleep." She grumbled her response as I hustled to the car.

 _ **Stef:**_

I woke up and reached for Lena before I remembered that she left to pick up the kids from Mike's. I frowned as I looked at the clock – I'd fallen asleep. I stayed in bed for another couple of minutes, figuring that the Jacob siblings were still be sleeping until I smelled coffee and heard the sounds of cooking. I threw on my robe and wandered downstairs, where I found Callie kneeling on a stool holding a spatula over a frying pan. "What are you doing Callie?! Get away from the stove." I snapped, causing her to rock backward on her stool, which almost tipped over. I rushed over and caught her as she screamed, settling her back on the stool. She slid back off the stool and quickly backed into the counter.

"Something is wrong with the toaster," Jude offered, pointing to his blackened toast as I opened the window and poured a cup of coffee. "But Callie made me an egg in a hole … they're yummy. You want one?" I turned to Callie, who I realized was shaking furiously. "Callie? Are you okay ?" I asked. Jude looked at Callie before turning to me with an accusing look on his face, "You scared her. Where's Lena? Can you call her?"

 _Yep. I was definitely not the favorite parent._ "I'm sorry Callie. I didn't realize I was being so loud when I came down; I saw you sitting so close to the stove and sort of panicked." "It's okay" she lied shakily, her eyes darting to the left. "What would you like for breakfast?"

"I'll eat something in a bit. I'd like to talk to you first. Can you turn the stove off when your egg is done?" She turned away from me and clicked the stove off before dropping her breakfast onto a plate. She stared at the plate and slowly began eating. "Um. Callie, can you look at me?" Her head popped up. "I'm not sure what the rules were in your past homes but here, you don't need to cook breakfast. Honestly, until you are a bit older, I would prefer if you didn't do any cooking. But, if you do want to make something special, please ask Lena or me and we will help you." She nodded glumly and apologized, "I'm sorry for breaking your kitchen rules; it won't happen again."

At a loss for what to say, I simply thanked her.

* * *

Lena dropped by at lunch for our meeting with Bill, who had promised to bring the kids' files by. Callie and Jude were laying in the backyard, probably to avoid me; Jude had been eying me with suspicion all morning. Their laughter drifted through the window occasionally, but they were talking too quietly for me to hear what they were saying.

"Have you thought any more about what you want to do with them?" I asked Lena as she put together some lunch. "About Callie and Jude? No." she replied, sighing.

"To be honest, I just keep thinking about Brandon being around Jim; about how that could have ended. I keep seeing you storming into that house with your gun pulled out and that awful feeling I got in my stomach. I can't help but connect that back to Callie." I wrapped my arms around her and said into her ear "Well, walking into dangerous situations is my job and is unrelated to Callie. And, as we discussed, I don't know how fair it is to blame her for pulling her brother out of that situation." Her response was cut short by Bill's arrival.

* * *

Bill ran through the kids' school and immunization records, handing over those items we would need, and then asked if we had any questions. I looked at Lena before saying, "Callie is skittish ... really skittish. Why is that?"

Bill laughed uncomfortably, "That's an understatement Stef; she's terrified of everyone and that's on me and the foster care system. I really let them down when they came into care. The first two placements looked like good homes - the parents were eager and wanted to adopt children in Callie and Jude's age range. After a few months, I noticed Callie get more withdrawn and assumed that it was related to their mother's death. I was wrong; we figured out the parents were torturing the kids." I frowned, "How?"

"They went after Jude one day and Callie broke down and confessed that they were feeding them food with laxatives in it and then locking the bathroom door, forcing the kids to 'go' outside. The second home was outright abusive and we found out about it from Callie's gym teacher. The foster mother would whip them while they were wet and she would poke Callie with needles when she 'misbehaved'. The teacher spotted the marks and asked about them." He leaned forward in his seat, "After that second home, Callie stopped trusting me to take care of them, she wouldn't even tell me what was going on in the homes. She would just take it." He frowned. "I found out what was going on in the other homes from her brother. Jude still talks to me and he likes to tell me about Callie's heroics." He shook his head before adding, "He thinks Callie is a superhero because no matter what happens, Callie takes it all. She would take a bullet for that kid." "How did they end up in care anyway?" I asked, changing the subject. I didn't need to hear about the bullet Callie would take for Jude; I'd seen it firsthand.

 _"_ Four years ago, their parents went to a party and, on the way home, their mother was killed by a drunk driver. Donald, their father, was the driver. We didn't even know about Callie and Jude until the father was arraigned. By the time we went to check in with them, Callie had been alone for two days with Jude."

"Wait" I interjected, doing the math, "she would have been seven or eight right? Why were they alone in the first place?" "Apparently, their babysitter left at some point in the evening and left Callie in charge." He replied.

"Anyway, with Donald in jail and no other family members to call, they were put into the system. Unfortunately, they haven't been able to land anywhere for more than nine months at a time." Bill said sadly, before requesting a refill on his coffee."Why is that?" I asked. "Well, I told you about the first couple of placements - the others weren't much better and we had to move them. It's been a long road for them; probably harder for Callie than Jude because she is so hell-bent on protecting his innocence." Bill laughed awkwardly. "Two years ago, she made me promise to never split them up; told me he 'deserved a childhood'. She didn't see the irony; then again, she was ten." He looked up from his file.

"I'm really sorry about the situation with Jim though. He kind of lost it after his wife died but looked like he was on the mend. I was hesitant to let him foster but he got clearance from a counselor to foster and got a sterling review from his employer. Callie didn't say anything to me about the abuse. If I thought he was hitting poor Jude, I would have pulled him from the home." He turned to Lena.

"Since I had a kid overdose, I wasn't able to pick her up from Chula Vista and I wasn't able to debrief with her. If it helps ... she has never run away from a home before. She would never run _from_ Jude." He paused to sip his coffee. "I know my inaction has you convinced I don't care about them, but I do. Callie is an incredibly good kid and I'm working overtime to try to keep them together in a safe place." "So, what's the plan in the meantime?" I asked. "The plan is the same; find them a place to call home – permanently. I'm kind of hoping you will keep them until I find that home."

"We'll discuss it" I promised.

* * *

Callie and Jude had been eying me since Bill's departure, their concern apparent. Anxious to avoid the development of more mistrust, Lena and I called a family meeting when the kids returned from school. I raised my voice to speak over the chaos, "Everyone, we wanted to let you know that Bill stopped by today to discuss next steps with Callie and Jude." I turned to the Jacob siblings, "While Lena and I aren't in a position to offer you a home forever, we would like for you both to be as comfortable and safe as possible while Bill searches for your permanent home - however long that may take." Callie's face fell before she could fully mask her emotions. She recovered quickly though and bumped Jude's shoulder, murmuring something in his ear.

I turned to look at the rest of the kids. "Since Callie and Jude are going to be staying with us for a while, we need to get them out of the living room. They can camp out down here one more night, but we are having some beds delivered tomorrow for them to sleep on and we will get them set up in the evening. Jesus and Brandon, please come home right after school as we will need some muscle." I laughed heartily as Jesus flexed and Jude mimicked him. "Jude can help too" Callie added, "look at those guns."

Callie looked up when I mentioned sleeping arrangements and the room quieted when she insisted "Jude stays with me." "I wish he could sweets" I sighed, "but you know about the rules. Jude will be sharing a room with Jesus and Callie, you'll be moving into Marianna's room, alright?" She monitored the floor.

 _Anchor Beach_

 _The Next Day_

 _ **Lena:**_

I paused when I heard sniffling and frowned in worry; midterms were proving to be stressful for the students this year. I knocked on the stall door and when I received no answer, I left the restroom loudly before sneaking back in without my heels on. I waited in the corner a student walked out of the stall shoving a small bag of pills into her backpack. _Kelsey._

I stepped out, surprising her. "So, Kelsey, what are those?" I asked, pointing at her bag "And who gave them to you?" After a beat, I added, "You can tell me or we can call the police and you can tell them; it's up to you. What kind of pills are those? Where did you get them?" She frowned before confessing, "It's just Ritalin Ms. Adams."

"And where did you get your 'just Ritalin' Kelsey? Because as far as I'm aware, you do not have a prescription for it; correct?" She rushed to explain, "I've been really behind and I read online how Ritalin can make you smarter so when Callie-"

"Callie?!" I interrupted. "She hasn't even been at since Monday." Kelsey rolled her eyes and continued as though I hadn't said anything, "Callie offered them to me on Monday when she was still at school. She kept bragging about how Jesus just left them lying around and promised he wouldn't miss them." _Callie stole drugs from Jesus?_ I needed to talk to Stef. We had a problem.

* * *

 _ **Callie:**_

Jude and I had reluctantly joined Marianna on a trip to the library. Though I didn't particularly want to go, I was eager to get away from Stef for a little bit. She had been eying me curiously since they'd announced that Jude and I would be staying with them until we found a permanent home. _A forever home._ I scoffed internally; there was no such thing.

The quiet time in the library had been good for me. By the time we headed back to my foster home, I felt much more at ease. I was so relaxed that when Marianna froze in front of the house and asked in a panicked tone, "Why are both of my mom's home?", I shrugged and walked around her to get into the house.

I stopped being relaxed when Stef asked Marianna to take Jude upstairs, saying that they needed to speak to me. Though, I motioned that Jude should follow Marianna - promising "I'll come get you right after bud" - my relaxation was gone; replaced by the feeling of my stomach rushing up to meet my chest. _What had I done?_ Rubbing my sternum, I followed Lena into the living room and, at Stef's direction, sat down across from them.

Stef looked at me with something akin to disgust and I could see the anger on Lena's face when she said, "Callie. We have some questions and we need you to be honest with us. We've been told that you stole some of Jesus' pills." Lena said. I leaned back in my seat in shock. "And that you sold them at school; is this true?" I sat back further in my seat and willed my eyes to be devoid of emotion. "Is this true?" Lena repeated louder after my prolonged silence. No." I finally answered, shaking my head no. "You sure about that?" Stef asked.

It wasn't a question really, I could tell by the look on their faces that their minds had been made up. It didn't matter that I hadn't taken the pills – they wouldn't believe me. "Uh-huh," I replied quietly. "Then why would a student say that you did?" Lena asked, her disbelief apparent. I bit back my tears and said "I don't know. I guess I'm just an easy target." "Right…" said Stef, drawing the word out. I could hear Jim's voice echoing in my head, " _Who would believe you, Callie?_ "

I waited for them to say something else. When they didn't, I looked up to see their anger written on their faces. I pinched my leg, effectively stalling my tears, and when they asked me to give them a minute to talk I fought my tears as I walked calmly into the bathroom upstairs, turned on the shower and burst into tears. Neither my tears nor the sound of the shower could drown out that question.

" _Who would believe you, Callie?_ "

" _Who would believe you, Callie?_ "

" _Who would believe you, Callie?_ "

"No one," I answered aloud. Jude and I were going to get kicked out of this house today. I cried harder.


	10. Hold on to the Memories

AN: So sorry for the delay in publishing this chapter. Something was not flowing properly and I had difficulty pulling the trigger. Some edits may be forthcoming. I'm on vacation until January 13th so please note that a delay in the next chapter is likely.

 _Adams-Foster Residence:_

 _ **Callie:**_

I had been in the bathroom too long. Though I wasn't sure of the precise amount of time I'd been hiding, my head hurt and my eyes were puffy from crying. I sighed and pulled myself off the ground, blinking back my newly forming tears. After taking several deep breaths, I blew my nose and splashed my face with a bit of cold water.

I leaned over the sink, staring at my reflection, as I considered how Marianna's problem was now mine. I let out a ragged breath and shuffled over to the bathroom door; it was time. I had to tell Jude that one - perhaps even both - of us would be heading to a new home within the week. He didn't deserve to be blindsided; not this time. In my haste to get to Jude, I barreled into Marianna and had to reach out to keep her from losing her footing.

I fought to control the torrent of emotions running through me before I asked: "Where's Jude?"

He's in my room looking at some magazines." she answered, "Why? Is something wrong?" "Yes." I hissed, stepping into her personal space, "something is wrong. Your moms are going to send me back to juvie because they think that I stole Jesus' pills and that I sold them. Given that you are the resident drug dealer, you can see how that is frustrating for me."

She took a step back, her eyes panicked and I felt compelled to pacify her, "I denied it, but they don't believe me." "What did you say to them?"

"I didn't tell them who stole the pills," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "I just told them that I didn't do it." Marianna's eyes widened in disbelief, "You didn't tell? Why not?"

"Seriously?" I queried. "As if they'd believe me over one of their real kids. I don't know what I'm going to tell Jude, he feels safe and I don't want him to have to start all over in a new place." When Marianna shrugged and turned toward Jesus's room, I frowned at her selfishness.

* * *

Jude was with Lena by the time I found him and I had no interest in interrupting that conversation. I retreated to the room I shared with Marianna and choked back tears as I folded my clothes and shoved them into my suitcase along with my favorite books. I would leave the rest with Jude. He would be inconsolable once I left and I hoped he would find refuge in some of the stories. After I'd finished packing my meager belongings, I slid my bag into the hall closet, where I could grab it without having to interact with anyone else.

I gripped my worn copy of The Girl with the Silver Eyes and slipped my mother's necklace into it as a bookmark. I reopened the book to write a note to Jude inside the front cover and slid it under Jude's pillow. It was my favorite book and he would understand the significance of me leaving momma's necklace and the book with him. He would know that it meant I trusted him to take care of it.

Marianna watched me as I left his room and walked outside. All I could do now was wait for Stef and Lena to kick me out.

* * *

 ** _Lena:_**

"I cannot believe she lied to our face, Stef; this is not acceptable. Stef sighed and started to respond when Marianna and Jesus walked into the room.

"Hi," I said, ready to send them back upstairs until Stef and I finished our conversation. Jesus ignored me, stepped out in front of Marianna and blurted out, "It was me!"

"What was you?" I asked, confused. "I did it. I sold the pills. It wasn't Callie."

Stef reacted first and demanded, "Explain. Now." I was baffled when I heard that Callie had not stolen his pills. No one had, he admitted. He'd gotten fed up with being the kid with ADHD and had stopped taking his medication. When Kelsey saw the pills and asked what they were, he told her and, at her request, he'd given her one and then another. The situation had spiraled from there and when she offered to buy the rest of his supply off of him, he'd agreed.

I looked at Stef in shock before muttering, "Jesus, give Mom and me awhile to talk about this. We will be discussing your consequences later." He nodded and started to walk off with Marianna before I stopped him with another question, "Wait. Why did you tell us now?"

"Callie." He frowned and continued. "Marianna and I were talking and she came in to pack up her stuff." I interrupted, "Wait, she was doing what now?" Jesus slowly repeated his words, "She was packing her stuff. She said that you guys didn't believe that she didn't steal the pills and she was crying because ... um, she thinks you are going to send her and Jude away." He stared at something in this hand before handing it over "We saw her put this under Jude's pillow." It was Callie's book with a necklace tucked inside, along with a note:

"Juju, this was momma's necklace. Other than each other, it's the only thing we have left of her. Take care of it until I get back and know that I will come back.

I will always come back for you. Promise.

Love,

Cal"

I battled a multitude of feelings when I thought about how Callie was feeling; how we'd made her feel.

* * *

"Have you seen Callie?" I asked Brandon as he came into the house. He pointed to the backyard and whispered: "Something's up with her; she's been crying." We found her sitting cross-legged under the tree staring at a book in her lap, Brandon's old guitar sitting beside her.

It took a second to realize that Brandon was wrong, she hadn't been crying, she was crying. "Callie?" Stef eased down beside her, "can we sit with you?" She continued to stare at her book as tears ran down her cheeks. Stef reached for the book and tossed it aside, causing Callie to flinch and scoot away from her. "Callie, what's going on? Talk to me."

Stef's question annoyed me; we knew what was wrong. We accused our twelve-year-old foster daughter of stealing and selling drugs. We made it clear that we didn't believe her when she denied it. We left her alone for two hours to think about the worse case scenarios of what could happen to her.

Instead of responding, Callie shifted closer to the tree, closed her eyes and took several shaky breaths before surreptitiously pinching her hand. We would need to talk about that at some point.

I grabbed her hands and held onto them until she looked at me and ripped them away, sliding them under her thighs. "Callie?" Stef repeated.

She finally looked up with tear-filled eyes and a quivering lip, her breathing audible. "If I confess that I did it - that I took the pills and sold them - will you keep Jude?" she asked. "If I tell you the truth and I promise to go, would you let him stay?"

I swallowed my tears at the hopelessness behind her question and asked, "Callie, why would you confess to something you didn't do?" She looked up in wonder. "We know you didn't take the pills."

"You believe me?" she asked, her surprise clear. I nodded my affirmation, "Yes, Callie. Jesus told us what happened." Her face fell. "Did you believe me before you talked to Jesus?" she asked. At my silence, she dropped her eyes and muttered "Oh." She pulled at the grass and queried, "But you didn't believe me when I said that I didn't do it?"

"We were given some false information from a student at the school and I promise I'm going to find out how that happened." Callie nodded, tucking her hair behind her ears.

Stef reached over and lifted her face, "Honey we're very sorry we didn't believe you. We feel that trust is something that has to be earned. We would really like to start earning yours." She dipped her head in acknowledgment and laughed derisively.

"Are you okay?" I asked when another tear snuck out before she could sweep it off her cheeks. At he, I said, "I'd really like to hug you Callie; can I give you a hug?" "No, thank you," she said her voice evidence of how close she was to crying. "May I be excused from our conversation, please?"

Without waiting for a response, she jumped up and retrieved the guitar before speed-walking into the house. Once she left, I moved to sit next to Stef and confessed, "I didn't even think about believing her". When she threw her arm over my shoulder, I leaned into her and cried.

 _ **Stef:**_

I hadn't seen Callie beam the way she did when we told her we believed her. I also saw the dimming of her smile when she figured out that, absent Jesus' intervention, she might have been heading back to Chula Vista. When she declined Lena's hug and, scarcely holding it together, asked to be excused, my heart broke.

* * *

Callie ran from us, literally and figuratively, for the remainder of the afternoon. She left the room, her eyes watery, when Lena or I walked in. She sat stoically through my attempts to engage her in conversation. She was silent during dinner and stared at her plate, though she gifted Jude an occasional smile. I pretended not to see her dump her chicken onto Jude's plate and let it pass when she declined dessert. At eight, she claimed exhaustion and asked if she could go to sleep early.

Uncertain of what else to do, we let her.

* * *

I glanced at the clock when I heard a door open; who the hell was awake at 2:00 in the morning? I slid from our bed and peeked out the door and spotted the culprit. Callie, our resident night owl. I watched curiously as she wandered downstairs and crept down after her. I was surprised when I didn't find her in the living room or the kitchen. I worried when I couldn't find her in the bathroom. I was frantic when she wasn't in the front or backyard and was sliding my shoes on to wander around the block when I heard the sound of leaves moving. I lifted my eyes and spotted the twelve years old in pajamas and boots.

"What are you doing?" I asked Callie after I'd finally spotted her on her branch. My answer was silence. "Do you come out here every night?" She ignored my second question as well, though at least the wind had the decency to answer me. "Can I come up there with you?" I asked, already climbing. She had climbed a branch higher by the time I made it up the tree and it was clear that she was crying.

"Are you okay? Clap once if you want to talk about it." The night remained silent and so did Callie. "You know, you scared me to death just now; I thought you left... You need to wake me or Lena up next time. At least leave a note." When she continued to ignore me, I settled in and tried to get comfortable in the tree.

My cell phone vibrated at 3:00 and I frowned when I saw Lena's name. "Hey honey" I whispered to Lena, who shouted into my ear that Callie was missing. "No, she isn't. I'm with her. Well, we aren't exactly in the house. We're in the tree." She shouted her confusion at me and I chortled at her profanity before passing along her message to Callie.

"Mama says we have to get out of the damned tree and get in our beds before she finds a chainsaw and cuts the tree down. She would do it too, so we need to get down. Will you climb down with me Callie?" She climbed down after a short while, ignoring the hand I offered her and headed inside the house. I followed and saw her grab her book and a blanket before strolling into the downstairs restroom. "Don't lock the door sweets," I requested, grateful when she nodded.

She had moved back to Marianna's room by the time I went to check on her at six.

Adams Foster Residence

The Next Day

Lena:

I went to the kitchen to start breakfast, surprised to find the coffee already made. "Did Callie make coffee?" I asked. "She must have" Stef answered, "the rest of the kids don't know how to and even if they did, I doubt they would. Be careful though" she said. At my querying look, she added, "She was pretty upset yesterday; it might be decaf." I laughed as I sipped the coffee; it was good.

* * *

"So - love of my life, mother of my children - can you explain to me why you were in a tree with Callie at 3:00 this morning?" She sighed, "I don't know love. I found her out there at 2:00 crying and I wasn't going to let her stay up there alone." I tilted my head inquisitively before grousing, "and it didn't occur to you to make her get out of the tree?" Stef walked over and relieved me of my coffee cup, taking a healthy sip, "What occurred to me is that she seems fragile and that she doesn't trust me. Next time she's up there, I'll wake you up and you can tell her to get down." I swiped my coffee back from her and scowled when I found the mug empty. I poured a second cup and headed upstairs to wake the rest of the kids.

* * *

The kids were animated over breakfast, except for Callie who sat quietly and did not eat. When the other kids headed out to the car, I nodded my head toward Callie, prompting Stef to ask, "Callie? Are you feeling alright?" She nodded. "Then you need to eat something, please."

She ate two spoonfuls of eggs and the yogurt I'd insisted she eat before getting up to leave. "Actually, before you go anywhere, don't forget we need to take you to get her stitches taken out today." She nodded her acquiescence before heading into the living room.

I kissed Stef before whispering against her cheek, "Good luck with that today. See if you can get her talk about last night."

Callie:

I disliked doctors and Stef's doctor was exceptionally irritating. He was chatty and smiled too much. I frowned when he asked about my favorite subject in school while he took my temperature. Why did he need to know that to remove stitches? Or fill out paperwork?

I answered his questions with silence and sighed in relief when he stopped talking to focus on my head and my ribs – spoiler alert, they still hurt. When he motioned me to another room to have the stitches removed, I went willingly, waving off Stef's offer to join me.

* * *

My panic attack caught me by surprise, triggered by watching the nurse hand the doctor a needle. My breathing shallowed as he closed in on me and my vision narrowed to a pinpoint as he administered the shot. I tried to ignore the familiar prick of the needle but it was too late. I found myself in the Wallace's living room with Mrs. Wallace telling me we were going to play a "little game." When the nurse handed the doctor a pair of scissors, I saw Jim holding a gun and aiming it at me.

Dr. Misarete is not Jim. Mrs. Wallace is not here. Dr. Misarete is not Jim. Mrs. Wallace is not here. This was my mantra ... but it was an ineffective one.

When Dr. Misarete came closer, I ducked under his arm and scrambled to hide under the table. I gulped down air and kicked at the nurse who was trying to pull me from under the table. When she caught my foot and tugged, I grabbed onto the side of the table and screamed in terror. "NOOOOO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. STEFFF!"

Stef:

I looked at Callie's medical file in the waiting room wondering if pages were missing. Had she not been to the doctor for a year and a half? Where were the records related to the abuse Bill had detailed? I'd have to follow up with Bill - again. Additionally, Lena and I would need to think about our next steps with the young girl. Our discussion yesterday had bred mistrust between us and had obviously hurt Callie's feelings.

I'd tried to smooth things over on the car ride over but Callie had ignored me - her silence loud - even when I'd asked her if she wanted to stop at Starbucks. I was not above a bribe. Her fear of doctors was clear after the situation with Jim when she had refused treatment for more than an hour. Still, she had waved me off from accompanying her into the examination room and, despite my better judgment, I'd heeded her request.

I closed the file and fought the urge to pump Jude for information on their past. When Dr. Misarete appeared without Callie minutes later, an anxious look on his face, I knew something was wrong. He asked the receptionist to look after Jude and motioned for me to follow him before speaking to me.

"I'm not sure exactly what happened but when I picked up a pair of scissors to remove the stitches, your daughter had a panic attack or ... something. We've been trying to calm her down but ..." He was cut off by Callie shouting "no" over and over again and then screaming my name.

I ran in the direction of her voice and saw a nurse trying to drag Callie out from under a table. "What the hell are you doing? Let go of her leg and move. Now." I commanded, hip checking her and crouching down to peer under the table. My heart broke when I spotted Callie cowering near the wall with tears streaming down her face. "Hey, honey." Callie stopped screaming but kept muttering "no" over and over again. "It's me ... it's Stef. I'm here. Can you come out from under there?" She shook her head no as she eyed me warily.

I laid down on my stomach and scooted closer to her, speaking in low tones. When she began to wheeze, I insisted, "Come on out now Callie, no one is going to hurt you." At her furtive glance to the doctor, I told him to leave. I offered her my hand and, after hesitating, she took it and crawled over to me. She was hot and sweaty but I pulled her onto my lap and held her head again my chest so she could hear my heartbeat.

"What happened honey?" I asked. She burrowed her face into my chest and wept. Sobs racked her body and when she got sick for the second time, I coaxed her into swallowing a sedative while I held her, whispering calming words in her ear.

* * *

Lena's concern was obvious when she walked into our bedroom and spotted the napping pre-teen in my arms, "Stef, what the hell happened? Were you able to figure out what set her off?"

I had called her on the drive home and asked if she could meet me after lunch. "She doesn't like doctors but, other than that, I have no idea, Len. She didn't seem so upset on the way there. I mean, she was ignoring me in the car but when they went back to take out her stitches, the doctor said they gave her a numbing agent ..." I trailed off as I recalled Bill's comments.

"The needle. He didn't even tell me he was going to numb her." Lena's brow furrowed in confusion. "Remember Bill's story ... about the second home." Lena nodded her response and reached for Callie's hand, inspecting it. "They still took the stitches out?" I looked at her seriously, "Of course they took them out. You think I was going to take her a second time after this?" Lena chuckled. "It's not funny Lena ..." I complained, "... we are going to have to get a new pediatrician. Dr. Misarete looked like he was scarred."

She walked over to the closet and mouthed that she was going to change. When she returned, she slid into the bed behind me. "How'd you get her home?" she asked, scooting closer to me. "I carried her; she weighs like seventy pounds," I replied. "Also, why are you getting all cuddly with me? Don't you have to get back to the office?" Lena sat up so I could see her face, "You don't want to cuddle with me?" Ignoring my eye roll, she continued, "I took the rest of the day off. I found myself feeling very tired today. Almost like I couldn't figure out where one of my children were at 3:00 AM."

Callie:

I was confused when I woke up in Lena and Stef's bed. I got up to move to my own bed when I saw Jude in the doorway of Stef and Lena's room, looking upset.

He walked into the room, asking "What are you doing?" "Uh. I was going to go to my bed; how did I get here?" "You don't remember?" he asked, sitting on the bed. "You freaked out at the doctor's office. Mom said it was because they gave you a shot."

The afternoon's events came rushing back and I warred against a second panic attack as I recalled the needle and the doctor who had looked so much like Jim. He looked at his feet, "She calmed you down after a while, but I could hear you screaming and crying. I was scared and they wouldn't let me come see you."

I rubbed my eyes, frustrated that I had scared him, "I'm sorry Jude. I didn't mean to scare you. I'm just tired." He smiled, "I'm just glad you are alright ... you are feeling better now, right?" I nodded my lie, "Much better." I paused and squinted at Jude, "did you call Stef 'Mom'?"

He rushed to explain, "Sorry! Everyone else calls her that and it slipped out earlier when I was talking to her. She said it was okay ... and I know she's not our mom but ..." He trailed off and looked at me for approval. I set aside my anger at Stef for giving him permission - we had a mom; her gravestone was twenty minutes away and Jude had her eyes. "It's alright Jude; you should call her whatever you want."

"Are you gonna be mad if I keep calling her that? Do you think mom would be mad?" I blinked back tears. "I think that, if mom were still here, she would be so happy that you found someone to call mom that she wouldn't have a chance to be mad at you. I think she would like Stef." I fought off more tears before asking Jude if he minded if I got a bit more rest. He shrugged.

I couldn't sleep, I determined. I couldn't shake off the image of Jim holding the gun and Ms. Wallace's twisted grin was haunting me. I grabbed the blanket Lena has given me and wrapped it around my shoulder. I shoved a pillow underneath my armpit and crept downstairs past the living room where Stef and Lena were watching a movie. I carefully opened the door to the closet in the laundry room and pulled it shut behind me, muffling the noise with my blanket. I found refuge in the small and dark space and reflected on my momma - her smile, her laugh, her eyes and her hugs - and tried to hold on to the memories as I dozed off.

Lena:

I smoothed my fingers over Stef's as we watched a movie. She had gotten up from our earlier nap and I found her staring into a cup of tea in the kitchen. I had forced her to lay down and had pulled her feet onto my lap as she rested. I let my mind wander and thought about the afternoon's events.

I had answered Stef's earlier call with a smile, figuring that Callie was wearing on her nerves. I couldn't blame her; the combination of the girl's teary eyes and silence played on my guilt all morning. When I answered the phone though, I heard crying in the background instead of Stef's voice. Before I could ask what was going on, Stef spoke into the phone and asked plaintively "Len, can you please meet me at home after lunch? Just for an hour or so?" I could hear the emotion in her voice as she detailed Callie's state before she added tearfully, "Honey, I am so tired and I don't know what to do to make her feel better. I need you to come home and help me." I had already started packing my bag and told Stef as much. "I'll be home in less than an hour Stef, I just need to talk to Sanchez."

I moved Stef's feet from my lap and caressed her face before going to check on Callie. It was nearing 3:30 now and I knew I needed to wake her up if we had any hopes of getting her to sleep at a reasonable time. The last thing anyone needed was another early morning scare of Callie sitting in that tree. I frowned when I got to the room and found our bed empty. "She went to lay down in Marianna's room" Jude offered when he walked by and saw me looking around.

* * *

Stef:

I woke to Lena shaking me with a frantic look on her face and whispering "Callie is missing!"

"Are you sure she's not in the house somewhere? Have you checked the tree?" She confirmed that she had, "I also checked Marianna's, Jude's and Brandon's rooms. I can't find her anywhere! Do you think she ran away?"

"No" I answered with certainty. "There's no way she would leave Jude." I heaved myself off the couch and heading to the backyard first, searching the tree for any sign of the young girl. When I didn't find her there, I peeked into the downstairs bathroom recalling her joke about hiding out there. Empty. As Lena continued to fret, I dragged her by the hand to Jude's room – if anyone knew where to find Callie, it would be him.

I found him reading and asked in a casual tone, trying not to panic him, "Jude. When Callie gets scared, where does she go?" He peered, amusement evident, "You don't know my sister very well. She doesn't get scared …". His eyes narrowed at me and said in a rebuking tone, "...unless people sneak up on her." I quirked my eyebrow.

"What about you? Where does she hide you when she thinks you aren't safe?" He studied the ceiling before replying, "Oh. Usually in a closet or someplace with a lock – but she always comes to get me. Why?" His expression hardened, "Did you scare her again? What did you do?" I concluded that the protective scowl often worn by Callie was genetic. "She got scared at the doctor's office today. I didn't do anything." He eyed me skeptically and, wearing a frown that aged him by four years, told Lena, "Stef scared Callie yesterday morning." And we were back to Stef…

I defended myself, "It wasn't on purpose, Len. She was cooking and sitting really close to the stove and she didn't …" at Lena's 'we don't have time for you to argue with an eight-year-old look' I let my voice trail off. "Nevermind," I grumbled. "Jude, Callie is still scared from the doctor's office this afternoon. Can you look around up here and call us if you find your sister?" He continued to regard me with suspicion and I sighed, certain that we had found the most skeptical kids in the foster care system to live with us. Unsure that Jude would call Lena or I if he found Callie, I left Lena with him and went to search the lower level of the house.

* * *

When my phone buzzed with a message from Lena, I wondered if they'd found Callie that quickly. I rolled my eyes when I read her message, "Jude is still tattling on you. You offered Callie Starbucks this morning?!" I didn't reply to the message and swore in frustration when I found Callie's packed bag stowed in the front closet; I had told the girl she wasn't leaving twice this morning and had asked her to unpack. A second glance confirmed that Jude's bag was also in there. I threw the two bags onto the living room couch and jogged to check the closet underneath the staircase.

My search ended when I spotted a piece of Callie's blanket sticking out of the laundry room closet. I tapped on the door and, when I got no response, I slowly opened it. Callie was sleeping on the floor with her necklace gripped tightly in one hand and dried tears on her face. I texted Lena to let her know that I'd found the pre-teen and that she should stay upstairs, Callie was asleep. I receive a new immediate reply "Nope. Jude is already on his way down." Of course, he is.

I threw some towels into the hamper outside the closet to make room for me to sit down and observed the young girl. I shushed Jude and he remained quiet as he ran evaluating eyes over Callie then me. "Come and get me when she wakes up" he directed me promising, "I'll be outside." When Lena followed him through the door, I grabbed my phone and snapped a photo of Callie sleeping in the closet. I was amassing quite a collection of these photos, I noted humorously. I toggled to my most recent conversation with my mother and was surprised to find a photo of Lena, Jude and I sleeping.

"Callie," I thought with a smile.


End file.
